….Commissioner describes practice as public health emergency, donates mobile toilet
By Edwin Philip, Lafia
The Nasarawa State Government has declared zero tolerance for open defecation, describing the practice as an embarrassment and a serious public health emergency.
The Commissioner for Environment, Solid Minerals and Mining, Dr. Margaret Elayo, stated this on Thursday during a media briefing ahead of the 2026 World Toilet Day, scheduled for November 19.
Elayo said sanitation remained a priority of the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule, stressing the need for collective efforts to end open defecation and improve access to safe sanitation facilities across the state.
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, the commissioner said more than 3.5 billion people worldwide still lacked safe sanitation facilities.
She noted that millions of Nigerians continued to practise open defecation, exposing communities to preventable waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea, which contribute to thousands of child deaths annually.
The commissioner outlined the government’s commitment to working with local government authorities, traditional rulers and community leaders to progressively ensure that communities attain open defecation-free status.
She also identified access to sanitation facilities, environmental protection and water safety as key areas requiring urgent attention.
According to her, the government is promoting the construction of clean and safe public toilets in markets, motor parks, schools and healthcare centres, with special consideration for women, children and persons with disabilities.
Elayo urged community leaders to enforce sanitation guidelines within their respective domains, while calling on schools and teachers to prioritise hygiene education and proper toilet maintenance.
She also appealed to businesses and development partners to invest in sanitation, describing such investments as essential to protecting human lives.
The commissioner further urged families to promote cleanliness at home and in public spaces, stressing that access to proper sanitation should be treated as a fundamental human right rather than a luxury.
In a demonstration of the government’s commitment to the campaign, Elayo donated a mobile toilet and recycling materials, promising to replicate the initiative in schools and other public places.
She said the intervention was particularly important in schools facing sanitation challenges, especially those affecting female students.
“Some of these schools have challenges. And like what I described to you, this would be part of my gift to some schools, especially when it has to do with the girl child,” she said.
She added that the initiative was intended to protect female students from exposure and embarrassment when using toilet facilities in schools.
“I don’t want any girl child to be exposed to the public just because you want to do a number one or a number two. And that is why I came up with this concept,” the commissioner said.
The post Nasarawa declares zero tolerance for open defecation appeared first on Vanguard News.