By Chimezie Agwu

Open defecation has disgracefully remained with us for a long while and many Nigerians seem to have accepted it as a way of life. Recently, a Senator stated that Nigeria loses three billion naira annually as a result of poor sanitation arising majorly from open defecation.

Much against the risk of getting drowned, some people have formed the habit of perching precariously at the edge of the lagoon to defecate inside the deep water without any inhibition in broad daylight.  Some others lower themselves in the gutter and release the rubbish there while others do it in uncompleted buildings or even in lonely market stalls.

In many of our big markets in towns, modern toilets are not provided and where they exist, sanitation is not usually observed.  This leaves the facilities in unhygienic conditions, and exposes those, especially women, who use them to serious infection. As a result of this development, some market women are compelled to pee in a potty in their shops under cover of their wrapper during business hours. The liquid is then mixed with water and poured on the road or in the street. What a sad commentary on our developing nation!

What we now have in some markets and in some commercial areas in Lagos State are improvised conveniences by traders who collect toll from users of such facilities. Before now, there had been cases where modern toilets in some markets had, in the course of time, been converted to shops at the behest of avaricious traders in collaboration with tainted market officials. And those whose duty it is to call them to order look the other way.

It is situations like these that encourage open defecation.  The story in our schools and tertiary institutions is not different.  Sometime ago, there was a newspaper cartoon showing a long queue of students in one of our universities, waiting to take turns in making use of inadequate toilets. In some of our primary schools, watching young girls looking for a place to hide and change their sanitary pads during school hours, presents an eyesore. This is because the toilets are non-existent or the number is not enough or they are left in very untidy states.

Not many of our department stores, big supermarkets and other commercial houses can boast of adequate and decent conveniences for their workers, let alone bother about such facilities for their numerous customers. Some of our ministries also fall short of expectations in this regard.  When some toilets are faulty in some offices, instead of putting them in order without undue delay, they are put under lock and key for several weeks to observe protocol that is usually responsible for tardy response to matters that require urgent attention. During this period, users of the facilities are expected to find for themselves alternative means of making themselves comfortable.

Any wonder Nigeria is now known to have overtaken India in the leadership of countries that practise open defecation?  Tufiakwa! In some foreign countries, the luxury buses that ply long routes within the country are equipped with toilet facilities.  Not so in Nigeria.  Some of us can still recall some years back, it was strongly rumoured that a passenger travelling in a luxury bus from Lagos to the East, was swallowed by a boa constrictor when he went into the forest to defecate during the journey.

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Although it was said to be a rumour, it was strongly suspected that there might have been some elements of truth in the story. Travellers avoided that particular transport service for some time, and the company spent a lot of money on publicity to dispel the “rumour” and save the company from collapse.  Whether the story was true or false, the fact remains that the story would not have come about if our luxury buses were equipped with toilet facilities.

What obtains abroad is that unlike what we have here, the big supermarkets have separate toilets for different types of people. Nursing mothers and those who are physically challenged have different toilets.

In our cities, many houses in residential areas, lack decent toilets because the landlords do not attach much importance to such facilities.  In such areas, it is common to see parcels of human waste deposited in the streets crushed by vehicles and trampled on by unsuspecting passersby.

The condition is not better in the villages. Last December, a Nigerian mother returned from abroad with her two children – a boy and a girl to celebrate the Christmas in their village.  They had no toilet in their compound.  In the morning, the 11- year-old boy went into a nearby bush to answer the call of nature.  Unfortunately, he got bitten by a snake.  The boy did not immediately know what attacked him. There was no nearby hospital. In the course of applying native medicine, he started vomiting blood and shortly packed up.

Some compounds in the village have deep pits which have been serving the people as toilets for over 50 years. They emit stench which spreads to other compounds and poses health hazard to the villagers. Occasionally, large snakes crawl out from there to other compounds where they signal danger to people who scamper for safety before killing them.

Let a national campaign be launched against open defecation.  Such enlightenment should be extended to the grassroots with emphasis on modern, clean toilets. Supermarkets, markets, ministries, schools, stadia, hotels, banks, churches, mosques and busy commercial areas et al should have modern toilets that are well maintained and protected so that hoodlums will not convert the conveniences to centres for drug peddling and other vices, including rape.

Nigeria must shake off the stigma of being labelled “world leader” in open defecation.  As the saying goes, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi:  09090419057; [email protected]