FCTA Kicks Off 10,000 Public Toilets

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has commenced the construction of 10,000 public toilets in the territory to tackle the menace of open defecation in the nation’s capital.

The FCT minister of state, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, who flagged off the construction of the public toilets, said in 2014, Nigeria embarked on an ambitious five-year mission to eliminate open defecation nationwide, building millions of toilets and aiming to change the behaviour of millions of Nigerians.

Aliyu revealed that in the FCT, one in every three people practised open defecation, amounting to approximately 37 percent of the population, just as she called on FCT RUWASSA and all stakeholders to accelerate actions and efforts aimed at making FCT open defecation free.

“On November 9, 2021, the FCT Administration launched an action plan targeted at ending open defecation by 2025. The plan involves providing equitable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services and strengthening community-led approaches to total sanitation,” she said.

She reiterated that the optimal benefits that accrue from adequate water supply cannot be achieved without a corresponding improvement in sanitation and hygiene practices, stressing that access to adequate potable water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices, play important roles in defining the human capital development of a nation.

The minister maintained that the FCT administration would continue to support and encourage private sector collaboration and participation in the provision of public conveniences in the territory in line with the commitment to work with the private sector to create jobs while improving the people’s living standards.

In his remarks, the FCTA permanent secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, who was represented by a director in his office, Mr. Prospect Ibe, said the FCT Administration had drawn up a road map to end open defecation in the territory by 2025, in line with national target and vision.

On his part, the executive director of FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, Dr. Mohammed Dan-Hassan, noted that clean and safe toilets would ensure fundamental human dignity for millions of residents, adding that open defecation spreads disease, threatens the security of women and girls, and contributes to malnutrition.