Oyo State collaborates with UNICEF to end open defecation

The Oyo State Government has announced its collaboration with the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) to extend the Open Defecation Free (ODF) program to additional Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state. Mrs Titilayo Obayemi, the Director of Sanitation at the Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), shared this information during an interview in Ibadan on Tuesday.

Obayemi disclosed that Ibarapa-East Local Government Area has been chosen as the third LGA to undergo the ODF program, emphasizing the competitiveness and transparency of the selection process. She further explained that ongoing monitoring and follow-up initiatives would continue in Egbeda and Ona Ara council areas, which were initially part of the ODF program.

Highlighting the significance of the government’s commitment to addressing open defecation, Obayemi recalled the launch of a roadmap in 2022 aimed at ensuring all 33 LGAs in the state become open defecation-free by 2028.

Expressing concern over the practice of open defecation, she noted that the state government is actively working towards achieving its target of a society free from open defecation by 2028. Obayemi mentioned that the ODF project commenced as a pilot in Egbeda and Ona Ara LGAs, involving stakeholder mobilization with the support of UNICEF.