President Muhammadu Buhari
By Bola Bakare
Open defecation is the emptying of bowels in the open as against the use of toilets meant for such purposes. People use fields, bushes, forests, open bodies of water or other open space. An alarming 892 million people, or 12 percent of the global population indulge in this disorder. It is, however, very common in very poor communities especially in Africa where poverty and lack of government support make it a challenge to build latrines. It can also be as a result of cultural reasons where it is an abomination to share toilets. This encourages open defecation.
Many a-time, it is a common, though highly disgusting spectacle to see people, old and young, man and woman, squat in an otherwise public space to defecate. This is usually done without consideration to whose ox is gored or who, ultimately, is at the receiving end. Interestingly, such offenders may not always be culpable. Why? Nature is uncontrollable, most times and it is commonplace, to arrive at a public facility without a toilet or lavatory. Sometimes, the available ones are disease breeders and it is wisdom to avoid using such.
Another sordid aspect to this scenario is the need to pay rather exorbitant fees for the use of such facilities and, quite sadly, masses, unable to afford such fees, resort to open defecation. Open defecation has many ills. It disfigures the environment. Spaces that ordinarily would beautify the environment become sore spectacles and, most times, this turns such environment to avoided sites. A hitherto beautiful park built with public funds intended for the relaxation and pleasure of citizens become avoided spots. Resources committed to the availability of such spots can then be considered wasted or misappropriated.
Open defecation also leads to the outbreak of germs and diseases. Rodents and insects feed on such faeces, become germ and disease vectors and, subsequently, transfer such diseases to humans. A very good example of this is the housefly which perches on exposed food after contact with faeces. This leads to diseases such as cholera, conjunctivitis, dysentery, gastroenteritis, salmonellosis, tuberculosis and even typhoid fever. All these diseases are dangerous to health and, most times, life threatening. Open defecation equally leads to an increase in water-borne diseases.
This is most prominent with children below five years of age and this is so because most open defecation happen next to waterways. Disease transmission becomes cyclic. An example is diarrhea. Wastes cannot be controlled thus making for indiscriminate passing of faeces which, in turn, affect more people and lead to a cyclic transmission. This will result in an epidemic even as diarrhea, in children lead to malnutrition. The most effective solution to open defecation is the provision of toilets. Other measures can then follow, the reason then why the Executive Order 009 of the Buhari administration is commendable.
The order, which came into effect on November 20, 2019, is in tune with UNICEF position that open defecation be discouraged and eradicated to free our children from early mortality. Nigeria is ranked second amongst the nations in the world with the highest number of people practising open defecation with an estimated 46 million people. This executive order is cheering news, not only for our environment, but also, for the health sector. The environment becomes more friendly and better for the populace. Hitherto polluted spaces, even waterways, are now cleaner and conducive for patronage or relaxation, as the case may be.
With this, the environment will be more hospitable and more people are free from stress-related ailments. With cleaner spaces, and, nature, there is bound to be remarkable drop in the incidence of air and vector borne diseases thus resulting to a drop in the mortality rate of children and adults, alike. This leads to a reduction in the budget for treatment of diseases thus allowing for higher appropriation for developmental projects. With great sense of responsibility, through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, is fully geared towards meeting the 2025 target. As such, intensive awareness is ongoing while active collaboration with all relevant agencies is in top gear. One cannot but commend the Buhari administration for the executive order and admonish that the government does not rest on its oars. Definitely, a cleaner, safer and healthier society is assured.
Bakare wrote this piece from Lagos.