Hadejia Local Council of Jigawa has shut down a public toilet in the area over unhygienic conditions, the information officer in charge of the council, Muhammad Talaki, announced on Monday.

Mr Talaki said that the council chairman, Abdulkadir Bala, gave the order when he paid an unscheduled visit to the facility known as “Yan Banga public convenience” on Monday in Hadejia.

He said that Mr Bala reiterated the council’s commitment to ensure that sanitation and hygiene were maintained in the area.

According to Mr Talaki, the council chairman directed that the facility be closed indefinitely due to the unhygienic surroundings and unwanted activities on its premises.

“The council will not tolerate such attitude from any public convenient operator or public places that pose a threat to the hygiene and well-being of its people,” the chairman said.

The information officer added that the chairman further directed the council’s Water and Sanitation Department to inspect all public toilets in the area to ensure that they operate in line with the rules and regulations governing their operations.

Mr Bala also expressed the council’s readiness to enhance environmental sanitation in the area, threatening to close any facility found wanting.

The chairman assured that public hygiene and human development were a top priority of his administration.

Meanwhile, 100 people were said to have died within three weeks early this month as a result of a cholera outbreak in 19 out of the 27 local government areas of Jigawa State.

The likely cause of the outbreak was linked to water contamination from an area where people practised open defecation near the water vendors who collect and circulate the water to residents of Hadejia.