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The Ogun and Lagos state governments have announced enforcement plan to prosecute individuals engaging in open defecation, particularly in the border towns.
The Special Adviser to the Governor of Ogun State on Environmental Protection Agency, Oluwadare Kehinde, said this at a joint press briefing with his Lagos State counterpart, Dr Tunde Ajayi, in Lagos.
He said the move was aimed at preventing the outbreak of communicable diseases like cholera and diarrhoea.
Kehinde said the enforcement team would start operation at the end of the sensitisation campaign and would work in shifts to apprehend and prosecute offenders with relevant environmental laws.
He said, “This will serve as a deterrent to others as anyone caught will face the wrath of the law. A situation where people defecate in open places, especially on the median of roads in these border towns is not acceptable to the Ogun State Government.
"So, the need for a lasting solution which has to do with enforcement and prosecution if this latest appeal and sensitisation fails to yield the desired results becomes imperative.
“This step becomes necessary as the Ogun State Government has several newly constructed public toilets across the state including the border towns as credible alternatives, so anyone caught will not be spared."
Kehinde therefore warned those still practising open defecation to desist from it.
