The "WC" or toilet
as its commonly called was invented to serve as a civilized and healthy way to
pass human waste and prevent the outbreak of diseases that could break out of
the improper disposal of this rather hazardous waste. Indeed, the importance of
the "toilet" cannot be overemphasized. It is therefore quite
astonishing that in this "Information Age" and era of civilization,
some areas in Nigeria have yet to discover the importance of using a
"WC" instead of the more primitive ways of passing human waste.
A case in point is the city of Ilorin, Kwara
Nigeria; here the poor and the rich are sharply separated by the glaring show
of opulence on the one hand, and the stench of abject poverty on the other. On careful
investigation, it is undeniable that access to a standard Toilet is also one of
the factors that separate the rich from the poor. Apart from the handful of
homes that were either constructed from scratch by the educated few and the
hotels and houses in the Government Reserved Areas, access to a standard toilet
is quite hard to come by.
While it must be taken into consideration
that Kwara State has faced scarcity of water in the past, and even in the
present in some areas of the state, this is still no excuse for the people NOT
to invest in Toilets!
Another case in point is Aboto Oja, a village
under the Asa Local Government. Here, the word "Toilet" is almost a
luxury, speak less of the structures itself. In fact, in the whole village,
there happens to be just one toilet, which is actually a row of pits dug in the
ground with planks over it. While I wouldn't blame the Kwara State Government
for the apparent lack of a "toilet culture" in this part of the
state, it is important for one to stress the importance of toilets, not only as
a place to pass waste, but as a way to prevent the outbreak of deadly diseases.
Firstly, to the best of my knowledge, it takes
a whole lot to put up a structure to create shelter for ones head, hence, there
ought to be a sort of plan (Urban and Rural Planners would know better) that
dictates how a town or village would be laid out. Hence, the provision for
sections of the compound that would accommodate Septic Tanks to collect
accumulated human waste products.
Secondly, the uncontrolled dumping of such
waste can lead to the outbreak of diseases such as Cholera, Ecoli or even
Typhoid, owing to the prevalence of flies in areas as sparsely populated as
Aboto Oja.
Thirdly, the Local Government ought to make it
a duty to at least try to reach these rather "local" areas to sensitive
them, through NGO's and other bosies on the need for proper sanitation as it
affects their well being. It is not just enough to place clinics (that never
really function) in these areas (almost hoping people fall sick).
This write up is a result of my personal
experience in parts of Ilorin and Aboto Oja in Kwara State...
Minerva...
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