Upon first coming across the idea that there is a day
dedicated to toilets, two emotions tend to first come to mind; humour and
disgust. However, upon a closer assessment of the ideals upon which the day was
established and adopted by the United Nations, the idea of a day to advocate
for better access to good toilets might not be a bad idea afterall.
In 2015, it was estimated that about 2.4 billion (about 1
out of 3 people) lack access to improved sanitation facilities, and under 1
billion people continue to defecate openly. And about 58% of all cases of diarrhea are caused from
unsafe water and poor sanitation and hygiene (which includes poor handwashing
behaviors). This means that in 2013, more than 340,000 children under 5 died
from water, sanitation and hygiene related diarrhea – i.e. nearly 1,000 child
deaths a day. Having to defecate in the open also infringes on human safety and
dignity.
Locally,
members of the Obafemi Awolowo University Community would agree that the access
to good toilets in the University are sub-optimal. Toilets in the Halls of
Residence are grossly misused by students and under-maintained by the appropriate
authorities. However, things seem to be improving with the new management of
the University but the poor use of the toilets from the students end persist.
The scenario is even worse in the academic environment of the University: Apart
from the College of Health Sciences, Faculty of Administration, Faculty of
Pharmacy and a few others, other faculty and departmental toilets are almost
always locked. The theme of this year’s World Toilet Day is "toilets and
jobs". And in observation of the worldwide advocacy, OAU Peeps News
Agency, with the support of some other organizations would be assessing the
toilet conditions on campus and advocating for an improved access and use of
toilets, especially in the academic area of the university. You can join the discussion
on any of our social media platforms;
Twitter
and Instagram- @oaupeeps
Facebook-
OAU Peeps
#OAUpeeps #WorldToiletDay #ToiletsAndJobs
Ojelabi
Jesujoba
Editor-In-Chief
OAU Peeps News Agency
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