The Assistant Health Prefect of Community Secondary School, Ibafo, Ogun State, Taiwo Adeseye, said she has never made use of the school’s toilet since she was enrolled there.
Adeseye said she always find time to do her defecation outside the school premises because the school does not have enough toilets for students and the ones available are usually dirty.
Adeseye, who stated that she is an ulcer patient, spoke to The Eagle Online on Thursday.
She stated that since there are lots of students in the school and there are usually queues, these have made many students to adapt to using the toilets facility together at the same time.
She, however, stated that she finds this irritating and she has abstained from the school’s toilets.
Adeseye said: “As for me, since, when I joined this school, since JSS1, I have never, ever used this toilet because of infection.
“If I am pressed, I will go and meet one of teachers in Junior Secondary to make use of their (teacher’s toilets).
“I am having ulcer.”
She noted that as the assistant prefect, she usually tries her best to see that the toilet is clean but no matter her effort, the toilet is usually not clean enough and due to the huge number of students, some of them who can’t endure defecate openly in the school compound.
Also, a teacher in the school, who pleaded anonymity, lamented that it is a pity that 2,000 students have to share two toilets.
The teacher said there is no way open defecation will not thrive in the school since there are shortage of toilets for the students.
The teacher said so also are they unable to by building toilets since they have more than enough issues to grapple with.
The Eagle Online reports that according to the National Outcome Mapping, 47 million Nigerians defecate in the open and Nigeria has the highest number of people that defecate in the open in Africa and second largest in the world after India.
The Eagle Online also reports that according to the Chief of Water and Sanitation Hygiene, Zaid Jurji, Nigeria needs N959 billion to eradicate open defecation and it loses N455 billion yearly to lack of sanitation.
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