By Tayo Joseph Lagos
The Lagos goverment has called for more support from residents in its fight against open defecation on roads and drainage channels around slums.
Mr Oluwatoyin Adeni-Awosika, Director,Public Enlightenment and Community Relations, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Culture disclosed in an interview.
He said that government was intensifying its enlightenment campaign to arrest the ugly trend caused by illiteracy.
“The same environmental and medical implications, it is all of us that would suffer it.
“So all of us must jointly tell ourselves not to do the wrong thing by defecating in drainage channels, on walkways or other areas not designated for such.
“And then we should use the proper environmental and toiletries provided for such purposes.
“In slums there is a high rate of illiteracy, so once you have a slum, it is always difficult to penetrate because of the level of illiteracy.
“That is why we are using local language, government does not want to penalise but want to sensitise, you too should see that this thing is bad, it is not decent.
“So we continue to appeal to them, and then we appeal to the traditional rulers, community elders, CDAs (Community Development Associations) to equally assist us in getting across these messages to their people.
“So, it is a collective thing, the more the messages get to them in their own language, the more they understand.
“Government has provided, UNICEF has equally provided them UNICEF and Lagos State latrines, the decent pit system, the water system, in Badia and so many other slums.
“The people have these toilets, but they will give reasons not to use them’’.
