Okay, you can do your thing at the nearest bush you see.
But, before you answer the call of nature at the nearest bush, make sure you’re not in Ogun or Lagos States!
This is because it is now risky to defecate carelessly in the two states.
Ogun and Lagos states have concluded arrangements to jointly put up an enforcement team that will work in shifts for 24 hours, especially in the border towns, with the mission to apprehend and prosecute anyone who engages in open defecation.
This was disclosed during a joint press briefing at Berger, in Lagos, by Special Adviser to the Governor on Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Dr. Oluwadare Kehinde, and his Lagos State counterpart, Mr. Tunde Ajayi.
In his submission, Mr. Kehinde said the new development was part of an enforcement strategy to bring offenders to justice for their actions and prevent outbreak of communicable diseases such as cholera and diarrhea in communities, particularly in border towns of Magboro, Arepo, Kara, and Isheri.
‘’This is to serve as a deterrent to others, as anyone caught will face the wrath of the law. A situation where people defecate openly in places, especially on the medians of roads is not acceptable to the Ogun and Lagos State governments. There is a need for a lasting solution which has to do with enforcement and prosecution after several appeals and sensitisations have failed to yield the desired results”, he said.
The Governor’s aide explained that government had constructed public toilets across the state and border towns, to enable people have alternative places to defecate, noting that open defecation has health implications on the residents and portrays the state in a bad light.
Mr. Kehinde therefore warned those who still practice open defecation to turn a new leaf by patronising public toilets near them or face the consequences of their action.
On his part, General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr. Babatunde Ajayi emphasised the need to enlighten residents of border towns of the two states on the danger of open defecation, noting that efforts would be intensified in clearing median from OPIC Plaza, Kara, Berger, Otedola Bridge inward Lagos end of the newly rehabilitated Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
