Oyo: UNICEF declares six wards open defecation-free

Ona-Ara local government is expected to become the third in South West Nigeria to eradicate open defecation with six of its political wards certified open defecation-free (ODF) by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund on Monday.

Before 2022, only 10 per cent of households in Ona-Ara LGA had access to toilets, and many practiced open defecation. However, through the successful implementation of Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in the six political wards, the number of households with toilets increased from 10,422 to 32,658.

UNICEF Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) specialist, Mr Monday Johnson, speaking at the Pre-World Toilet Day Celebration by Ona-Ara Local Government in collaboration with Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (OYORUWASSA) and UNICEF, said only 14 percent in Oyo State had access to basic sanitation services, with one in every two persons in Oyo State defecating in the open every day.

According to him, four years ago, Oyo State developed the open defecation roadmap to guide ending open defecation, and based on it UNICEF in a pilot project began supporting Ona-Ara, Egbeda, and Ibarapa East local government areas to stop open defecation in their communities.

“In the two-year journey, Ona-Ara LGA has gone in trying to stop open defecation, six out of eleven ward council wards in Onaara LGA have become open defecation-free.

“Today, we are recognising communities in Akanran, Badeku, Araromi, Ajia, Idi Ose, and Idi Osan in Ona-Ara LGA that have become open defecation-free. We encourage the remaining five to buckle up, and we want by next year to celebrate the entire LGA as open defecation-free.

“If we can achieve this, Ona-Ara will become the third largest LGA in the South West Zone to become open defecation-free.”

Mr Johnson declared that UNICEF, in collaboration with OYORUWASSA, has a revolving loan in place to help community members construct toilets and for the political wards to maintain their open defecation-free status.

He urged everyone in the LGA to become advocates for ending open defecation and called for a bylaw to be enacted to ensure that in every council in Nigeria, any person that is defecating in the open is sanctioned.
Chairman of the Ona-Ara local government area, Dr Temitope Kolapo, said the certification that the 6 political wards are open defecation-free was a milestone towards a cleaner, healthier, and more dignified Ona-Ara.

Dr Kolapo said the achievement is possible because of the tireless efforts of traditional leaders and religious leaders, urging that the open defecation-free status be maintained in the six certified political wards as efforts continue to ensure that every house in the LGA has toilets within the next six months.

Chairman of OYORUWASSA, Alhaji Babalola Afobaje, said that access to toilets is important for health and open defecation is dangerous and contributes to cases of diseases like cholera and increased maternal and child mortality. He declared that people need to stop renting houses without toilet facilities.