By Richard Ayinde, Osogbo.
Wife of Osun State Governor, Mrs kafayat Oyetola has admonished the people especially women to champion the fight against Open Defecation.
Mrs Oyetola who is also the WASH Ambassador in the State gave the charge at the 2021 State Environmental Health Week/Scientific Conference held at Leisure spring Hotels, Osogbo.
Dressed in a specially made Environmental Health Officers uniform, Osun First Lady appreciated the tireless efforts of the Environmental Health Officers at ensuring a healthy and open defecation free environment.
Delivering a lecture entitled “Roles of Women in Promoting Open Defecation Free Society, Care of Home and Efforts of llerioluwa Development lnitiatives” Mrs Oyetola expressed concern that Nigeria has overtaken India as the first country where open defecation is being practiced.
She highlighted the negative effects of the practice of open defecation on individuals maintaining that a given society where such is the order of the day, various diseases will take the centre stage.
She however noted that women have vital roles to play in this regard emphasising that encouraging the use of toilets and promoting cleanliness would go a long way in putting an end to the age old poor and unhealthy habit.
To further lend credence to her commitment and determination to end it, the wife of the governor told the gathering that her NGO, IleriIOluwa Development Initiatives, has been unrelenting in organising several sensitization and enlightenment programmes against open defecation.
While maintaining that there’s no going back on this all important fight, the Osun WASH Ambassador admonished people to join the crusade of saying No, “To Open Defecation in Osun and Nigeria as a whole”.
Earlier, the President, Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter, Sanitarian Dr.Tope Akinwunmi asserted that choice of theme of the conference was informed by the efforts of Her Excellency in ending open defecation in the State.
Dr Akinwumi thumbed up for Mrs Oyetola in her resolve to make the State have a clean bill of health in the area of being made an open defecation free State in Nigeria.
The President, EHOAN, assured Mrs Oyetola of the readiness of members of his Association to go all out to achieve the dream of making Osun not only better but healthier in all ramifications .
At the conference the wife of the governor, Mrs kafayat Oyetola got decorated as the Matron of Environmental Health Officers Association of the State in addition to an Award of Excellence while she was also honoured the Pillar of Environmental Sanitation.
