Wife of Lagos Governor, Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu has charged community leaders, religious bodies, health officials and other stakeholders to adopt the right strategies in the campaign against open defecation so as to put the state on the right track in its attempt towards becoming the cleanest in Nigeria.
Mrs. Sanwo-Olu made the call on Thursday, July 24, 2025, during the flag-off of Open Defecation Free and Hygiene Behaviour Change Campaign organised by Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources in collaboration with Lagos Waste Forum and WaterAid Nigeria.
Represented by Mrs. Victoria Olowu, Wife of Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Mineral Resources, Sanwo-Olu, noted that “open defecation can lead to environmental degradation, which affects our water sources and pollutes our shared spaces. The campaign against open defecation is necessary because it aims at fostering a healthier, more dignified and environmentally responsible society.
“Apart from the negative environmental impacts, open defecation strips us of our dignity, endangers our health, and undermines our aspirations for a cleaner, smarter and safer Lagos,” she said.
Sanwo-Olu however urged the public to intensify awareness campaigns on the use of clean, safe, and accessible public toilets in markets, motor parks, schools, public institutions, and in every community.
In her remarks, Evelyn Mere, Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, opined that the practice of open defecation constitutes a challenge to public health, derogates from our dignity as humans, and endangers our well-being as a people. “Therefore, to be labelled as the nation with the highest number of people practicing it, is a slight on our collective pride.”
Mere, who was represented by Kolawole Banwo, WaterAid Nigeria’s Head of Advocacy and Communication, further stated: “There are several contributory factors to this common but unacceptable practice. These, among others, range from lack of access to safe, inclusive, and decent toilets, cultural beliefs, lack of awareness and poor social orientation.
“It will therefore require the combination of the collective efforts of multiple stakeholders to effectively address it. These will be by ensuring the availability of functional and hygienic toilets for households in public places, in institutions, as well as an effective behavioural change campaign. These, if complemented by the strict enforcement of relevant laws and imposition of appropriate sanctions on defaulters, will culminate in putting an end to this unhealthy practice.
“At WaterAid Nigeria, we believe that clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene are not luxuries, but basic human rights. We have therefore provided and are still providing safe, inclusive, gender responsive toilets in selected schools, primary healthcare centres and public places, as our contribution to ending this menace in the state.”
She called on all stakeholders, especially the good people of Lagos to join in the ‘Open Defecation Free and Hygiene Behaviour Change Campaign’.
Mrs. Chizoba Opara, National Coordinator, Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign (CNC), in her submission stated that the campaign signified a renewed commitment to improving public health, protecting the environment and restoring dignity to every Lagos resident.
Opara, who represented the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, said that the Use the Toilet campaign, which was launched in 2019 with Executive Order 009, had made tremendous progress in ending open defecation in the country.
Dr. Hassan Sanuth, Director of Sanitation Service, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, noted: “Nigeria faces a significant challenge with open defecation, ranking first globally in this practice. An alarming 48 million Nigerians (WASHNORM 2021) still practice open defecation, leading to severe consequences. The nation loses an estimated 1.3% of its GDP annually (N455 billion) due to poor sanitation. Tragically, over 100,000 children under five die each year from water and sanitation-related diseases.
“In Lagos State, the situation is dire: 75% of Lagosians lack access to safely managed sanitation and 65% lack adequate hygiene services. In October 2024, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported that Lagos State accounted for 43% of all suspected cholera cases nationwide, highlighting the urgent need for action” he submitted.
To protect public health and enhance the dignity and safety of Lagosians, particularly women and girls, the Director of Sanitation Service advocated for massive sensitization programme about the dangers of open defecation across all communities across Lagos’ IBILE divisions. The should be an improved WASH infrastructure in public places in order to promote good sanitation and hygiene practices.”
Highpoint of the event was the decoration of the First Lady as the Clean Lagos Ambassador and signing of the Open Defecation Free Commitment Accord by Chairmen of Local Government Areas and Local Community Development Areas in Ikorodu Division.
By Ajibola Adedoye