2.5 million defecating openly in Ebonyi daily— UNICEF

From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has revealed that over 2.5 million persons are defecating in the open every day in the state.

UNICEF Nigeria Chief of Field Service, Ms Judith Leveillee disclosed this in Abakaliki, the state capital at the weekend during a courtesy visit of the organization to Governor Francis Nwifuru in his office at the cemetery city, government house.

She noted that 125 million US dollars would be needed to construct 2.5 million laterines to eradicate open defecation in the state.

Leveillee said UNICEF is always concern about cholera and other communicable diseases associated with open defecation and called for environmental hygiene across the state to avoid the diseases.

She said “every day in Ebonyi, more than 2.5 million people are defecating in the open. This is something that can change, it doesn’t need to be like that. Lots of lessons should be drawn from other states.

“I would like to call on the state government to call on the small businesses entrepreneur to do something about this because if one laterine can cost like N75,000, we could be talking here of multi-million business.

“Just in US dollars, am talking about 125 million dollars that will be needed just to construct 2.5 million latrines to make sure that we can eradicate open defection in Ebonyi and we are always concern with cholera especially in three LGAs; Izzi, Ohaukwu and Ebonyi.

“This can be a thing of the past and I know Ebonyi can do it, I know Ebonyi can lead other states in Nigeria by declaring open defecation free as a state.

“So, we need to start LGA by LGA, ward by ward and state by state because there is a lot of that a child, a mother and father need to spend on diarrhea or even expensis for health system when it comes to curing acute watery diseases or cholera”.

Francis Nwifuru, while receiving the organization, said his administration will take measures against the ugly trend.

He said he had approved UNICEF’s call for immediate end to all forms of open defecation, malnutrition and inadequate immunisation.

“We know the negative implications of open defecation and erratic immunisation, and concrete actions towards ending them must be taken

“We will do everything within our reach to construct toilets in the markets, schools and other public places,” Nwifuru said.