As part of efforts to commemorate World Environment Day which was marked on June 5, the Oyo State Government through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, launched mobile toilets for public places in the state as well as Clean and Green Clubs in secondary schools across the state, in a bid to ensure the gospel of a clean and green environment is passed across generations.
Performing the official launching on behalf of the governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun, stated that if the environment is not important, the United Nations would not have dedicated a day as the World Environment Day, to preserve the environment, adding that the programme was being held because the Oyo state government understands that the environment is very important.
Speaking on the public toilets which are on a PPP arrangement with Manasseh Engineering Company, she stated that, “I was unpleasantly surprised when I found out that Oyo State was ranking high in issues of open defecation and I wondered, in the year 2021? So, I am pleased that we have partnered through PPP arrangement to have toilets being provided in public places.
“We all need to work to make it successful because I am sure if this pilot is a success, it will be replicated all over and so the days of going to the backyard, pit latrine or bush will be over because it is much healthier, cleaner and aesthetically pleasing to use proper toilets than to do our business in other places. You would have known that the tree planting campaign from Oyo State for this year was launched by the governor himself who actually planted the first tree two weeks ago,” she said, encouraging the students to take the message of cleanliness back to their areas.
The Operations Manager of Mannaseh Engineering, the company that provided the toilets, Gbenjo Abimbola, said the mobile toilet project is focused on eradicating open defecation in the city of Ibadan and Oyo state at large, adding that “we are currently deploying 50 units to start off the first phase of the project and curb open defecation which causes so much illnesses. We have invested millions of naira and we already have 14 locations identified by the ministry where we will put the public toilets like Iwo road, Ojoo, challenge and major markets among others.”
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Abdulateef Idowu Oyeleke, stated that the mobile toilets were to ensure the eradication of open defecation which has been a challenge to the government and a source of concern that people indiscriminately defecate openly, adding that in an attempt to mitigate the health challenges associated with open defecation, the toilet was launched on a PPP arrangement with Mannaseh Engineering Company, which provided 50 pieces of mobile toilets to be distributed to identified areas where public defecation is an issue particularly the markets because most markets do not have any facility for defecation.
“Go to our garages, almost all do not have such facilities and interior areas lack such facilities the state. It is based on this that we identified the areas and we are going to deploy these facilities to those areas. It will not be free but it won’t be more than N100 depending on what you want to do. The Ministry of Environment is going to regularly monitor the hygienic situation of those facilities; it is not just putting the toilets in place.
“Pending the time the Oyo State House of assembly will come up with the law on open defecation, the bill is on its second reading, we will use the carrot and stick approach to encourage people to use the toilet as it is convenient and safer in terms of health but once the law on open defecation is out, then it will become an offence for anybody to be caught defecating openly.
“We are going to deploy the facilities to public places and as soon as we receive more from Manasseh, we are deploying to other parts of Oyo state where they have already been making demands for it. It will get to every part of Oyo state,” he said.
He explained that there are free seedlings for people that want to plant trees and they only have to apply and convince the ministry that they have space to plant the tree and they will monitor the growth, adding that FRIN and the Forestry department of the University of Ibadan are adding to what the ministry’s department of forestry is producing, making seeds readily available for people interested.
Credit: tribuneonlineng.com
