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The Cross River State House of Assembly has passed a bill prohibiting open defecation.
The bill aims to outlaw open defecation in public places and encourage the use of proper toilet facilities statewide with a view to improve sanitation and protect public health across the state.
The lawmakers approved the bill after considering a report by the House Committee on Water Resources and Sanitation presented by its Chairman, Kingsley Ntui, representing Etung State Constituency on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
Ntui said that about 47 million Nigerians still practiced open defecation, adding that the practice contributed to water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid.
He commended the state government’s efforts in ending open defecation and urged lawmakers to support sanitation initiatives in their constituencies.
According to him, with support from United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Self Help Africa, eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state have been declared open defecation-free.
“However, some key challenges to achieving full open defecation-free status include poor sanitation infrastructure, limited access to clean water, poverty and low public awareness.”
Contributing, lawmakers said the bill aligned with national and global initiatives aimed at eliminating open defecation.
They said that the law would improve environmental cleanliness and promote the overall well-being of residents of the state.
On his part, Speaker, of the house, Mr. Elvert Ayambem, commended the committee for its work and expressed satisfaction with the bill’s passage.
Ayambem said the law would help create a cleaner environment and reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to people-oriented legislation that would improve resident’s welfare.
The bill is in line with the Federal Government’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes aimed at safe water, sanitation and hygiene services by 2030.
It is also aimed at making communities Open Defecation Free (ODF).
In a related development, the Lagos State Government, through its Anti-Open Defecation Squad, apprehended five individuals on Thursday during an early morning enforcement operation at Ebute Ero and surrounding areas of Lagos Island.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed this in a post shared on his X handle: @tokunbo_wahab.
Wahab said that the operation was carried out to curb open defecation and other environmental nuisances, adding that the squad targeted locations identified as hotspots for environmental violations within the area.
“The enforcement team arrested five defaulters during the exercise.
“The suspects were taken to the enforcement office at Sura-Simpson for further investigation,’’ he said.
The commissioner said that the offenders would subsequently be transferred to the headquarters of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) in Oshodi for prosecution in accordance with existing environmental laws in the state.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to maintaining environmental sanitation, and urged residents to comply with sanitation regulations to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
By Christian Njoku and Deborah Akpede
