In a bid to put an end to open defecation practice in Kwara by 2025, Private Sector Stakeholders in the state on Monday donated 1000 pour-flush toilets to support the government.
The State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced this in Ilorin, the state capital, while declaring open a public lecture to mark the 2020 World Toilet Day.
AbdulRazaq, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rasaq Raji, said that the gesture of the stakeholders working to end open defecation would support the effort of the state to end the practice soon.
He asserted that the present administration in the state had demonstrated a total commitment to this course with the completion and inauguration of some prototyped integrated modern public toilets in 2019.
This, he said, would be spread across all local government areas in the state to uphold good hygiene in the state.
He said, “This event again affords us the opportunity of reviewing our journey on sanitation to strengthen our campaign on global effort to end open defecation by 2025.
“Kwara cannot afford to be left behind in this noble course. This administration has demonstrated a total commitment to this goal by completing and commissioning some prototypes of integrated modern public toilets in 2019.
“We plan to spread this gesture across the local government areas of the state. I am glad to announce that our efforts have paid off as private sector stakeholders working to end open defecation are to build 1000 pour-flush toilets in Kwara to support what we are doing.
“We are indeed very grateful to them while pledging to step up our effort to end open defecation in our state and uphold good hygiene.
“We appeal to the good and rich people of Kwara, private business communities, and other corporate organizations operating in the state to also donate public toilet facilities to our community.”
For her part, Mrs. Julianah Oyedun, the state Commissioner for Environment, commended the state governor for his stride in addressing the challenge of open defecation practice in the state, saying “all hands must be on deck towards constructing more integrated modern public toilet in strategic locations in Ilorin metropolis and other senatorial districts in the state”.
The commissioner urged the public to see the provision of good, standard sanitary and hygienic toilet facilities as a task that must be accomplished by all households even before the 2025 deadline set by the United Nations.