A local government chairman in Cross River State has warned that an epidemic is coming if residents don't stop defecating in the open — and he says about 88,000 people are currently doing it.

Dr. Fred Okem, chairman of Yala Local Government Area, raised the alarm on Thursday while presenting the state's Open Defecation Law to local councillors for adoption as a by-law. He said the high rate of waterborne diseases in the area is directly linked to the practice.

“Yala was one of the first local government areas in the country to attain open defecation free status since 2018,” Okem said. “But things have gone backwards, and even worse with virtually 90% of the people here defecating in the open.”

The chairman said the local government has partnered with Toilet Pride Initiative to provide affordable toilet facilities. He urged residents to build toilets in every home, market, and school.

“The human waste is said to be manure for the soil and food for some animals and birds. But it contains a lot of diseases and bacteria such as cholera, guinea worm and others, which are injurious to human health,” Okem said.

“We are in the process of returning Yala back to the right status where every home, market, school has a toilet.”

Sunday Ebeku, General Manager of the Cross River State Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSA), said Governor Bassey Otu has signed the Open Defecation Law and other sanitary laws. He said the goal is to improve sanitary and health standards across the state.

Ebeku warned that people living along rivers often defecate into the water or on riverbanks. When rain falls, the waste ends up in the water people drink.

“The water may look clean to the eye, but if you drink it, trouble comes,” he said.

After a six-month grace period, anyone caught defecating in the open or living in a compound without a toilet will be sent to jail, Ebeku said. He encouraged residents to take advantage of cheap toilet facilities and loans from a partnering bank.

Yala is one of only two local government areas — the other is Makoda in Kano State — where Toilet Pride Initiative is running its programme. Okem said the area is lucky to be part of the initiative and urged everyone to embrace it.

  • 88,000 residents currently practise open defecation in Yala LGA
  • 90% of the population now defecates in the open, reversing the 2018 open-defecation-free status
  • Six-month grace period before enforcement begins
  • Penalty: jail time for open defecation or living in a home without a toilet
  • Partnership with Toilet Pride Initiative for affordable toilets and bank loans
  • Yala and Makoda (Kano) are the two LGAs piloting the programme