As part of its drive towards achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, the Federal Capital Territory Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Directorate (FCT-RUWASSA) has taken its sensitisation campaign to traders and commercial transport operators at the popular Jabi Motor Park in Utako District, Abuja.
During the campaign yesterday, FCT-RUWASSA officials educated traders and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on the dangers of open defecation and its health implications.
The officials also enlightened participants on observing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices to promote healthy living.
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Director and Head of Sanitation at FCT-RUWASSA, Mrs. Chinyere Arayi, noted that open defecation can lead to the outbreak of communicable diseases such as cholera and other waterborne illnesses.
She urged motorists to avoid the temptation of defecating indiscriminately but to patronise toilet facilities available in and around their areas of operation.
She further noted that the visit to the motor park was timely, given the nature of activities and the rainy season, as diseases such as cholera spread easily in busy environments.
Similarly, the Deputy Director and Head of Community Mobilisation and Hygiene Promotion at FCT-RUWASSA, Alh. Hussaini Abdulkadir, who spoke in Hausa, emphasised the need for motorists and traders to embrace WASH protocols for better personal hygiene.
Abdulkadir explained that open defecation contributes to the spread of communicable diseases through water channels, largely due to poor hygiene practices.
He reiterated the FCT Administration’s resolve, through RUWASSA, to eliminate open defecation and fast-track the attainment of ODF status in the FCT.
Nigeria remains one of the countries where open defecation is still prevalent. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the practice was expected to end in 2025, but the Nigerian government has extended the deadline to 2030.
Despite the availability of public toilets in strategic locations across the FCT, open defecation still persists.