“Open Defecation Carries Grave Health Consequences”, Osun First Lady Charges Residents To Use Toilet

Wife of the Governor of the State of Osun, Mrs Kafayat Oyetola on Tuesday charged residents of the state on the need to eliminate open defecation in communities of Osun urging that citizens should imbibe the practice of using toilet for the purpose of their health.

Mrs. Oyetor gave the charge at the inauguration of open defecations campaign in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, she called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and women to use their position in sensitising people on the importance of toilet usage in their communities.

According to the first lady the practice might have been attractive over the years, adding that danger of the practice is highly cost and require the collective effort to abandon the practice.

She further stressed that the consequence of open defecation could have negative effect on education of children if they are contacted with disease from the practice, said time has come to free our state from open defecation.

She added that the present administration under the watch of Governor Gboyega Oyetola has made healthcare one of the major pillars for its programs that enhances the health facilities in the State especially the primary health care facilities.

Mrs Oyetola commended Supervisor for Economic Planning and Budget, Professor Olalekan Yinusa for his tireless efforts at ensuring the success of this campaign.

According to the Osun first lady “Open defecation carries grave health consequences for all of us. It is a destroyer of our health and pollutant of our environment. Every time we step out to openly defecate, we are deliberately inviting water borne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and typhoid to ravage.

“It has been found out that open defecation is one of the factors leading to mortality among children under five years of age. This is apart from the fact that the diseases occurring from the practice could enhance sexual and other violence against our women and our girls especially when they have to go out in the dark to defecate in the open places.

“We shall visit our schools and other public places for the sole purpose of driving the use-the-toilet campaigns. Of course, the sanitation officers would be engaged very actively on this campaign.

In his remarks the Deputy Governor, Olugboyega Alabi charged residents of the state to take proactive measure in ending the illicit practice, adding that the practice is common in South West in Nigeria and must be eliminated in the society.

Alabi admonished the people of the state to take their health serious and think of other people in the society.

The dignitaries who graced the conference are: the chairmen in Osun west senatorial district, traditional rulers market women, artisans, religious leaders among others.