₦airaland Forum

Residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, are at the risk of an epidemic following the absence of toilets in many parts of the communities in the city.

PUNCH Metro gathered that some areas with ancestral homes did not have toilets and resorted to open defecation.

During a visit to some of the communities, including Fowosedo, Ago-Ika, Totoro, Ijofa, Sapon, Sokori, among others, it was observed that canals, bush paths, riversides and refuse dumps had been taken over by faeces, as both the young and the elderly engaged in open defecation.

Our correspondent noted that the communities reeked from the stench of human waste, while the drainage bred bacteria and vectors.

It was learnt that many of the residents defecated inside polythene bags and disposed of them at any available dump site, river or channel.

Some of the residents, who spoke to our reporter, attributed the inability to construct toilets to poverty.

Some also claimed that the rocky nature of their areas made it difficult for them to build toilets as blasting the rocks would “cost a fortune.”

A landlord in Ago-Ika, Mrs Omowunmi Ogundare, said she inherited the house from her late father, who built it without a toilet.

She said, “How do you expect me to use money meant for food to build a toilet? We do find our way in disposing of our faeces.

“Even when the government came to lock this place some months ago, I told them we don’t have money to construct any toilet at the moment. They promised to provide us with an alternative; we hope they do that soon.”

An Islamic cleric and community leader in Fowosedo, Taofeeq Adeyemi, said the community development association in the area was doing everything to ensure houses had good toilet facilities.

He said, “The issue of houses not having toilets is something we are seriously looking at as a CDA. We are working with the state government in ensuring many of these houses provide toilets for their residents.

“We have more than 80 houses in Fowosedo alone that do not have toilets and good bathrooms. It is worrisome; but this place is like this because many of these houses are old buildings.”

The Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the government had asked affected houses to build toilets before a stipulated time.


Oresanya said the government would be sealing up houses without toilets after the deadline elapsed.

He said, “We are aware of those areas that you mentioned. Most of those areas are traditional areas and the majority of the people living there are mostly third generation owners.

“But before we go with the full wrath of the law, we will first do a kind of advocacy and we will talk with the CDAs in the area. We will call them for a meeting. Immediately after this, they will see enforcement in those areas.”

A medical expert, Dr Adewunmi Alayaki, warned that open defecation could lead to an outbreak of air or water-borne diseases.

Alayaki stressed that open defecation could also cause cholera and diarrhoea.

He said, “Any house or environment where there is no means where they can properly dispose of human waste, there is danger of any medical outbreak such as cholera and many others.

“This is because when you expose human waste, most likely flies can go there and later infect human beings. It is dangerous.

“We are in danger of having an outbreak because when rain falls, it can wash such human waste into nearby well water or streams that people consume, and you know what it means to people.”

https://punchng.com/open-defecation-ogun-communities-stink-govt-threatens-crackdown/

It's utterly foolishness trying to stop people's culture, people's way of life. Who does that? Ogun indigenes should not in anyway accept this fóolish act by the state government. It's an insult to their culture.

Sorry to say this, Yoruba culture is in sync with open defecation. My Landlord and members of his family in Osun state always defecate in a plastic bowl and dump into the gutter. When I went to them to complain bitterly, I was told it's part of their tradition which was passed over to them from one generation to another.

That community is exactly what is referred to as Shithole.

Agbado community. State with the highest IGR but without toilets.

The same people from this community after inhaling the odour from open defecation, with damaged brain caused by the smell, they come online to support Tinubu.

With ogun state bad road una still dey shi t around

Yorubas way of life, they are used to shitting anywhere nature calls

Yoruba Muslims love open defecation die..

How do you expect agbo Ile's. Ancestral homes to have toilets? How?

They call them "Agbo ile" for a reason. The poorest of the poorest live there. Most of those houses are even empty,old and worn out with some already collapsing .

Come and visit Ibadan Agbo Ile's and you will be grateful for your life

It is just a matter of years before the government takes over and demolishes those houses and turn them into GRA's.

P.S. The open defecation happens only in the Agbo Ile's and not other parts of the city

Lol .. i became the enemy of many in a a neighborhood in a small town in Oyo state when the large empty land in front of my apartment was granted to me for farming...

Formerly It was used by all for toileting.

I shouted, i explained .. no result.. until used my dogs to scare them till they got the message..

They were resentful that i an outsider should be telling where and where not to shit...they said even the land they know the owners..

One man was so bold he saw me coming with my dogs and stayed there..until i brought phone to snap him that he stood up.

This practice is a stain on Yoruba people..

however maybe govt should adopt another approach... At least teach people to dig an elbow length hole and bury their shit there.. if they bury it well many of the problems it causes are solved.

“ Even when the government came to lock this place some months ago, I told them we don’t have money to construct any toilet at the moment. They promised to provide us with an alternative; we hope they do that soon

Many of those houses in the ancient places lack toilet facilities, except for the elites of that time. Should this practice still be passed to this generation? Hell no!

At a time, Wole-Wole people were always on the neck of these defaulters , to the extent of checking their water pots.

Poverty is not a reason to be unhygienic.

Government across the south west should look into this open defecation of a thing and proffer solution with immediate effect.

This is an eyesore. This Yoruba culture of shitting in the open must be abolished.

Someone like Reno omokiri Nigeria's dumbest half wit will think this is defecation in an open toilet, this is shifting in gutters, open land , rivers etc. This is utterly disgusting and is happening right here in Lagos

Maza Maza to Agboju

happney65:
How do you expect agbo Ile's. Ancestral homes to have toilets? How?

They call them "Agbo ile" for a reason. The poorest of the poorest live there. Most of those houses are even empty,old and worn out with some already collapsing .

Come and visit Ibadan Agbo Ile's and you will be grateful for your life

It is just a matter of years before the government takes over and demolishes those houses and turn them into GRA's.

P.S. The open defecation happens only in the Agbo Ile's and not other parts of the city

It happens every where, in the city and villages. Something's can never change, It is their heritage

MadamVanessa:



It's utterly foolishness trying to stop people's culture, people's way of life. Who does that? Ogun indigenes should not in anyway accept this fóolish act by the state government. It's an insult to their culture.

You cannot make heaven with this statement. Just prepare to meet the devil.

STOP THE NOISE. BUILD PULIC TOILETS FOR YOUR PEOPLE.

Tochi3:

Lazy weaklings that cannot build common toilets and renovate their brown roofs.

orisa37:
STOP THE NOISE. BUILD PULIC TOILETS FOR YOUR PEOPLE.

How can you expect the government to build toilets for grown men?
Yoruba people and laziness.

Lagos state government should do everything in their power to stop this unwholesome cultural display of yorubas.

Let all Yoruba Obas convene a meeting of all stakeholders and chart the way forward.

This thing is getting out of hand.

Emergingnation:
Yoruba Muslims love open defecation die..

How are we sure those pictures are from the SW? And by the way, I’m a Christian and we don’t do Yoruba Christian or Muslim here in Yorubaland

However, what is certain is that the SE and it’s people are the real dirty people

orisa37:
STOP THE NOISE. BUILD PULIC TOILETS FOR YOUR PEOPLE.

If I hear! It's a cultural thing, it will take years to eradicate

yoruboid:
How are we sure those pictures are from the SW? And by the way, I’m a Christian and we don’t do Yoruba Christian or Muslim here in Yorubaland

However, what is certain is that the SE and it’s people are the real dirty people

Gbenu ofo soun..... Yoruba culture and open defecation is like 5 and 6.

Beerfraud I see you oo

ChoCho54:
Beerfraud I see you oo

According to Ogun state government

Omor

Hydraulic soup dey run belle o.

ChoCho54:
Omor

Hydraulic soup dey run belle o.

It has nothing to do with hydraulic soup, it's innate. They are trying to preserve the tradition handed over to them by their forefathers just the same way Ibadan people have been preserving their rustic brown roofs.

Open defecation isn't what's making me laugh, cracking down on those involved in it is what's cracking me up.

Abeg the governor should allow his people to shit in peace.

Anambra civil servants 🤣

Anambra no dey carry last