The Green Global Environmental Network, a Non – Governmental Organization based in Ekiti State has organised a one day Campaign and sensitization walk against open defecation and climatic change in the state.
The one day walk which took off from the Atikankan area of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State Capital was rounded up at the popular Fajuyi Mini Pavillon.
The walk against open defecation had in attendance the Commissioner for Environment in Ekiti State, Mr. Olugbenga Agbeyo and the Senior Special Assistant on Public Health to the state’s Governor Kayode Fayemi, Mr. Ogunsakin Jimlas and other officials of the Ministry of Environment who displayed different placards with different inscriptions such as: ‘sanitation brings dignity, equality and safety’, Keep your environment clean’, plant trees, ‘no where to run, save our green earth’, ‘open defecation is a killer Let’s kill it’, ‘Let us make Ekiti open defecation free’, plant a tree today and save lives’, every home deserves a toilet, stop open defecation now’, let stop climatic change b4 climatic change will stop us’, ‘always use the toilet. Avoid open defecations’.
The walk against open defecation was organised to celebrate the 2019 World Environmental Day and to educate the members of the public on the dangers involved in condoning the uncivilized and unhealthy act in today’s society.
While speaking during the campaign, the Commissioner for Environment in the state, Mr. Olugbenga Agbeyo revealed that the need to embark on the campaign against open defecation is in the realization of the 2019 World Environmental Day’s theme which centres on ‘Air Pollution’.
Agbeyo explained that it became necessary for the campaign to hold due to the dangers posed by defecating openly.
In his words, “air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances like greenhouse gases, for instance, CO2, CFC, methane, SO2 particles and biological molecules are introduced into the earth’s atmosphere. Air pollution both inside and outside homes is a silent and deadly killer responsible for the premature deaths of seven million people each year including 600,000 children”, he stated.
Agbeyo advised the members of the public to make their environments to be clean so that they won’t inhale polluted air thereby putting their health, life and well being at risk. He equally advised the public against burning of fossil fuels, and heating by industrial establishments.
He charged the public to ensure they manage waste and their agricultural products well.
Agbeyo used the opportunity to lead others to plant new trees beside the Adunni Olayinka Women Centre in Ado Ekiti. He counseled landlords to built toilets facilities in their houses to prevent tenants from defecating in the public space.
Speaking to the press, Agbeyo advised the members of the public to change their attitudes on engaging in open defecations saying “the need has come to stemmed down the trend of open defecations in our society of today”.
He submitted that open defecation has been in existence from time immemorial and assured that the state government will look at ways of creating an alternative that will make it more easier for the public to stop the negative trend”.
Equally speaking with the press, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Health to Governor Kayode Fayemi, Dr. Jimlas Opeyemi Ogunsakin scolded the members of the public for making the issue of open defecation increasingly prevalent in our society. He commended the initiative of the Green Global Environmental Network (CGEN), a non – governmental organisations that spearheaded the walk/campaign against open defecations in the state.
In the same vein, Alhaji Sikiru Olowoyo, the Executive Director of the Green Global Environmental Network (CGEN) while fielding questions after the walk condemned the manner and ways the public abuses government facilities. He used the opportunity to call on the critical stakeholders in the environmental sector to come together to assist the government in stemming the tide of open defecation in the state.
Olowoyo revealed that the campaign/walk was necessitated as a result of the report and survey which ranked Ekiti State as the second highest state that practices open defecation in the country.
Olowoyo pledged the continuous commitment of Green Global Environmental Network (CGEN) towards intensifying the campaign against open defecation in the state.
“When I visited Togo, I paid equivalent of N45 before I was allowed to make use of their public toilet facilities. I believe the same thing can be replicated in Ekiti State”, he declared.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
