Wednesday, July 8, 2026

FG rejects proposed bill to prohibit open defecation, urination

“Creating an agency for a fragment of one component of sanitation would mean creating more than 15 agencies for sanitation issues alone.”

• December 7, 2021
Open defecation
Open defecation used to illustrate the story

A bill to prohibit open defecation and urination faced criticism and eventual rejection after being presented before the ministries of finance and environment as well as other stakeholders. 

On Monday, the “Clean Nigeria Agency (Establishment) Bill” was presented at a one-day public hearing by the Senate Committee on Water Resources at the National Assembly, Abuja. The proposed legislation was sponsored by Senator Clifford Ordia.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources, Bello Mandiya, noted the need for the federal government to eradicate open urination and defecation, citing health concerns.

However, the Director of Legal Services, Ministry of Environment, Obayagbo Helen, said the ministry was opposed to the passage of the bill.

“Creating an agency for a fragment of one component of sanitation would mean creating more than 15 agencies for sanitation issues alone,” she said.

“This would mean wastage of scarce government resources. Besides, there are too many federal government agencies in existence currently and most of them self-sustaining but depend on the already very thin resources of the Federal Government,” she added.

The bill was also rejected by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, represented by Ate Amali, who noted the existence of government agencies already performing the roles listed out in the proposed bill. 

The national president, Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria, Jamilu Shuaibu, noted that the proposed legislation clashed with the provisions of the fourth schedule of the 1999 constitution.

That part stipulates that local government councils are solely responsible for maintaining and regulating public convenience.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Armed Cops

States

Bayelsa: Father, son arrested for illegally possessing guns

The Bayelsa police command says it has arrested a 68-year-old man and his 36-year-old son for illegally possessing four single-barrelled firearms.

Plastic bags waste

Africa

Tunisia proposes ban on single-use plastic bags

Members of the Assembly of People’s Representatives in Tunisia have put forward a legislative initiative aimed at a nationwide ban on single-use plastic bags.

NSCDC armed female squad

Politics

1,300 NSCDC officers to provide security for Edo LG elections

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has deployed 1,300 operatives across Edo’s three senatorial districts to provide security for Saturday’s local government elections.

International Space Station

World

BRICS countries create network of telescopes to study short-duration space phenomena

According to TV BRICS, the network is the Global Open Transient Telescope Array, an international observatory of telescopes for observing transient phenomena.

Solar panels in residential place

NationWide

Fake solar panels in Nigeria could cause fire outbreaks, experts warn

The experts gave the warning in separate interviews on Wednesday, urging consumers to buy only genuine products from authorised dealers.

World

U.S. professor Daniel Taylor convicted of drug trafficking, faces 40 years’ imprisonment

Mr Taylor worked as an associate professor of marketing and supply chain management at Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business.