Ekiti State has joined the global community to commemorate the 2025 World Toilet Day with a road show and community sensitization campaign aimed at deepening public awareness on sanitation, hygiene, and the need to eliminate open defecation across the state.
The Program Coordinator of the Sustainable Urban, Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) Program, Engr. Steven Adewumi who led the awareness campaign round major roads in Ado-Ekiti described this year’s theme, “Sanitation in a Changing World: We Will Always Need a Toilet,” as timely and significant in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
He charged residents to ensure that every household has access to a clean, functional toilets, noting that good sanitation is key to good health and preventing disease outbreaks associated with open defecation.
Adewumi emphasized that open defecation poses serious risks to residents and urged communities to comply with the One House, One Toilet policy.
“What we give to the environment comes back to us. Good sanitation and hygiene are not optional; they are essential to public health, safety, and the wellbeing of every household,” he said.
Also speaking, Mrs. Ayeni Olanrewaju of the Ekiti State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) encouraged residents to take personal responsibility for improving sanitation in their homes.
“As we celebrate the 2025 World Toilet Day, I encourage everyone to ensure that they have functional toilets in their homes. One house, one toilet should be our culture,” she said.
Addressing participants during the sensitization walk, the Deputy Director in the Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Felicia Fatoye, highlighted the direct link between access to clean toilets and public health.
“If people have toilets in their homes and maintain good environmental sanitation, it will prevent outbreaks of diseases like dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, and many other preventable infections,” she stated.
She further noted the dangers of poor sanitation, especially for children and vulnerable groups, citing troubling global statistics.
“It’s important for everyone to have a toilet in their homes because lack of good sanitation has caused many avoidable deaths, especially among children. Research shows that over 800,000 children die annually due to poor hygiene and improper waste disposal,” she explained.
Fatoye appealed to landlords and tenants to cooperate with the Ministry of Environment in ensuring that every building has a functional toilet, adding that the state government is ready to assist in addressing issues with non-compliant properties.
The sensitization train moved through several parts of the Ekiti State Capital with campaign messages on the dangers of open defecation and the health benefits of proper sanitation.
Campaign jingles were played while flyers were distributed, and residents engaged actively with officials further to reinforcing the message collectively
In attendance were teams from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, State Program Coordinator Unit, Ekiti State Small Town and Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, Ekiti State Water and Sanitation Regulatory Agency, Environmental health workers, Ekiti Water Supply and Sewerage Company, NGOs, and others volunteers.
The walk covered major areas including Fajuyi, Okesha, Oke-Isẹ, Ojumose, Ereguru, and Oja Bisi.
This year’s commemoration, themed “Sanitation in a Changing World,” focused on the dangers of poor toilet habits and the importance of affordable, safe sanitation facilities for all households.