Alhaji Amasa Al-Amin, the Permanent Secretary, Kwara State Ministry of Environment and Forestry has urged the people of the state to stop open defecation to avoid spread of diseases.
Al-Amin, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin, stressed the need for people to cultivate good attitude toward disposal of waste products such as refuse, urine and excreta.
“Some parents are ignorant of their actions to the extent that they cause lots of problems to themselves out of negligence and laziness to keep the environment clean and tidy
“Some parents encourage their children to defecate in nearby bushes, while others carry their children to the bridge or stream to defecate with the belief that the water will wash it away.
”But the truth is that the waste products will stop somewhere and will result to all forms of diseases,” Al-amin said.
The permanent secretary said that diseases like polio, cholera, elephantiasis and even cancer could infect people as a result of open defecation and wrong disposal of refuse.
He said that the state government had taken some steps to stop open defecation, expressing belief that with the availability of public toilet, people would reduce the dangerous act.
“There are some public toilets around Ilorin metropolis and the state government has also introduced integrated modern public toilet which has many facilities in it.
“Three of such integrated modern public toilets had been built in places like Alanamu area, Abdulazeez Ata road, and Garage Offa area and more will be built to reduce open defecation,” he said.
Al-Amin said that government would want private individuals to invest in public toilets, saying “it is a lucrative business and the money invested will be recouped immediately.”
