Gbenro Adesina
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has called on the Oyo State Government and the media practitioners to scale up sensitisation on the need to stop open defecation.
The call was made on Thursday November 12, 2020, by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) consultant with UNICEF Akure Field Office, Dr. Emmanuel Orebiyi, at the One Day Review Meeting on Facts For Life Radio Programme, saying 51 per cent of residents in Oyo State practice open defecation.
Orebiyi said the time has come for the state government to put more efforts into campaigning against open defecation because of the cost of providing medical attention to cure diseases that emanate from the practice.
Urging the Oyo State House of Assembly to urgently come up with a bill to criminalize open defecation, Orebiyi cited the example of people that relocate to their own new houses by December and January without completing the toilet facilities in the building.
He challenged media practitioners in the state to join hands with UNICEF and Oyo State government to promote good health practices among the people.
His words, “Many of us still engage in open defecation. People that live around us still do it and it happens in the rural and urban areas. We need to give support to UNICEF and the state government by taking the campaign to the households through the radio and other media platforms. 51 per cent practice open defecation in Oyo State, 35 per cent in Ondo, 39 per cent in Osun and 19 per cent in Edo States. Therefore, let the State House of Assembly come up with a bill to criminalize open defecation in the rural and urban areas. The State Town Planning system should also be mindful that approval for houses should be given with strict adherence to completion of the toilet facilities”.
In his speech, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun charged media executives present at the event to give adequate publicity to the health initiative.
Olatubosun encouraged UNICEF to reciprocate the support received from media practitioners towards the Fact for Life and other programmes sponsored by the international agency.
He said the state government has recently launched the TOMOTIYA health initiative to enhance the health sector, which he said was one of the four development pillars of the current administration.
“The focus of this initiative is to strengthen the health system through integrated management of pregnancy and childbirth along with the management of childhood diseases and interventions that will bring health closer to our homes and health care facilities. It is very germane to stay here that the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration since assumption of office regularly ensures that issues that relate with existence of humanity are not taken with levity”.
Media practitioners at the review meeting gave assurance that they would use their different platforms to project information on dangers of open defecation and other sanitation issues.
