Ekiti State has joined the global community to commemorate the 2025 World Toilet Day with a road walk and community sensitization campaign designed to promote improved hygiene, proper waste management, and an end to open defecation across the state.
Leading the awareness campaign through major streets in Ado-Ekiti, the Program Coordinator of the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) Programme, Engr. Steven Adewumi, described this year’s theme, “Sanitation in a Changing World: We Will Always Need a Toilet,” as timely, noting that it aligns with Nigeria’s drive to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Adewumi urged residents to ensure that every home has a clean, functional toilet, stressing that good sanitation is essential to preventing disease outbreaks.
“Good hygiene and sanitation are not optional; they are fundamental to healthy living. What we give to the environment eventually returns to us,” he said. He also reiterated the state’s commitment to enforcing the One House, One Toilet policy.
Speaking during the campaign, Mrs. Ayeni Olanrewaju from the Ekiti State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) called on residents to take personal responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.
“As we mark the 2025 World Toilet Day, let us make functional toilets a culture in every household,” she appealed.
The Deputy Director in the Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Felicia Fatoye, highlighted the strong connection between access to clean toilets and public health.
“If people maintain hygienic toilets and keep their environment clean, we can prevent diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, and other avoidable infections,” she stated.
Fatoye also raised concerns about the global burden of poor sanitation, especially on children.
“Over 800,000 children die each year due to poor hygiene and improper waste disposal. This is why every household must have a toilet,” she emphasized.
She urged landlords and tenants to cooperate with the Ministry of Environment to ensure compliance, noting that the government is ready to support communities facing sanitation challenges.
The sensitization walk passed through key locations in Ado-Ekiti, including Fajuyi, Okesha, Oke-Isẹ, Ojumose, Ereguru, and Oja Bisi. Along the route, campaign messages were announced through jingles, while officials distributed flyers and engaged residents on proper hygiene and the dangers of open defecation.
Several agencies and stakeholders participated in the campaign, including 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 numerous volunteers.
This year’s observance, themed “Sanitation in a Changing World,” reinforced the urgent need to adopt safe, affordable, and sustainable sanitation practices to protect public health and ensure a cleaner, safer Ekiti State.