By Precious Oham
According to the United Nations, every house is expected to have at least one functional toilet.
Reverse is the case in some communities in Ekiti State including Ado Ekiti, the state capital as ninety percent of houses in this areas lacked functional toilet, hence the people resorted in open dedication.
Among these communities are Odo-Ado, Iropora, Iludun-Ekiti, Ara-Ekiti, Ilukuno Ekiti, Ora-Ekiti, Ijelu-Ekiti and Osan-Ekiti.
A visit to houses in these communities with a request to use their toilets confirmed that toilet is a luxury as the people directed our correspondent to various bushes where they dedicate openly.
Few ones who could afford pit toilets lacked running water which is a major factor for proper hygiene.
In an interview, some residents blamed the situation on Landlord and lack of proper implementation of the one house one toilet policy of government.
Some Stakeholders in Ekiti State who spoke with our correspondent urged government to close down all houses and buildings without functional toilets in the state of it must achieve safe a d hygienic environment.
First to speak was a retired lecturer from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Dr. Tunji Owoeye who said government must act fast due to the danger associated with the unhealthy Practice.
He urged government to create more awareness and enforce the one house one toilet policy without preference.
Owoeye said:” lack of toilets in our houses, particularly in the rural communities is becoming alarming. The Ministry of Environment and Town Planning Offices should ensure that toilets are provided in various houses before their approval. Toilets should be provided in markets and other public places even if they have to be paid for.
Also, a former Commissioner for Information in the State, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi said government must not take issues that has to do with public health with levity.
He said: “It’s the function of government to ensure that in approving and monitoring human habitat, the toilets is made as important as the house itself. Government should also use environmental sanitation officers as it used to be in the past, to enforce the United Nations standard on toilet provision within the house.
“Government must also as a matter of policy, inspect houses from time to time because a lot of houses used to have toilets but became dysfunctional. It will be the duty of government to make water available to all the human habitat such that no one will have an excuse not to have functional toilets within their domain.
Two corps members posted to Ekiti State Ngozi Akubulu and Stephen Udeh who shared their experiences with Journalists confirmed that most houses in the area where they live lacked functional toilets.
According to them, the whole members of the house where they live have resorted to open defecation due to lack of toilets, thus confirming the position of the United Nations Children Fund which ranked Ekiti high among the states with prevailing cases of open defecation.
Ngozi said:” I was brought to the house at night and because I have no where to stay, I hurried paid the agent and moved in the next morning, I lost my appetite for days after they showed me the old pit toilet which had filled to brim.
” I have no choice than to join the other tenants to wake early and use the nearby bush.
Aside residential buildings, some of the public toilets built by successive governments in strategic locations within the state are not also functioning while some lack access to water.
A medical expect working with the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti before his relocation to UK, Dr. Bamidele Atiba affirmed that a society without functional toilets is one living in danger.
He said: “About 3.5billion globally are without safe toilet and about 419milliom people practise open defecation and this has led to over 1,000 under-5 mortality every day as a result of infection.
“Therefore, it is an issue of human rights and a global challenge that needs to be targeted and worked towards eradicating and therefore the need for us to accelerate change towards ensuring safe toilet and water for all by 2030.”
When contacted on telephone, the Director, Environmental Services, Ministry of Environment, Ekiti State, Mr. Tunde Balogun said government was aware of the situation and efforts are on to address it.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has listed Ekiti as second State with high rate of open dedication in Nigeria.
