BENUE STILL PRACTICES OPEN DEFECATION
Eric Adah
Open defecation is the human practice of defecating outside (“in the open”) rather than into a toilet. People may choose field, bushes, forest, ditches, street, canals or other open space for defecation. They do so either because they don’t have a toilet readily accessible or due to traditional cultural practices. The practices are common where sanitation infrastructure and services are not available.
However a global survey has identified Nigeria as the second in the world among countries where open defecation is prevalent.
No fewer than 47 million (24.4%) Nigerians are practicing open defecation.
Only India ranked worst than Nigeria in the water sanitation and hygiene (WASH NORM) survey conducted by United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF)
In Benue state 2.9million people defecate in the open. which makes Benue state rank among the top states in the country that practice open defecation.
In a chat with mr Tyowua Gbagir an indigene of Buruku LGA said he feels more comfortable defecating in the bush rather than pit toilet that are mostly used in the villages. He said the pit toilets are constructed mainly for women and visitors that may come from the urban areas. Tyowua said he is 61 years but he has never used toilet in the village except when he visit a relatives in an urban area.
Also speaking with mrs Akor Lucy in Abua Guma LGA said she defecate in the open because there is no toilet in her house, she also said she feels very uncomfortable to defecate in the toilet whenever she visit someone in an urban area, because she is not used to defecate in the toilet since she was a child.
In a chat with a traditional ruler in Agasha Guma LGA Zaki Utaa Dondu said constructing a water system toilet in the village is a very big challenge to them because of the scarcity of water they are facing in their community. He said before now most of them think defecating in the bush is not a bad thing as it gives manure to the soil. Until an (Ngo) that came to their community and sensitized them of the dangers of defecating in the open can pollute the environment and cause health problems to the people.
The issue of lack of toilet in Benue state has become the major source of worry to people both in the rural and urban areas, however a research shows that most communities in the state don’t have toilet even those that have is pit toilet in the villages. While in the metropolis the government is yet to construct public toilet in markets, street and major roads in the state for resident to pay a small amount of money to defecate whenever they are pressed in public.
