Jakande’s fellows step up campaign against open defecation

The campaign against open defecation in Lagos will gather fresh momentum today, as fellows of the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy (LJLA) stage a 10-kilometre awareness walk aimed at promoting improved sanitation, behavioural change and cleaner public spaces across the state.

The walk, scheduled to take place from Allen Junction to LAMATA Motor Park, Ojota, is part of the fellows’ flagship capstone project tagged “Pee-Poo to Power Lagos,” an initiative that seeks to tackle open defecation and indiscriminate urination by converting human waste into clean energy through biodigester technology.

Addressing journalists in Lagos, the project’s Team Lead, Bayode Oke-Thomas, said the initiative was developed after months of research, stakeholder engagement and community consultations, which identified poor sanitation practices as one of the major public health and environmental challenges confronting the state.

He explained that the project combines modern sanitation infrastructure with a circular economy model capable of converting human waste into biogas while driving behavioural change through sustained public enlightenment campaigns.

According to him, the team has proposed a pilot sanitation hub at a busy transport terminal where upgraded public toilets will not only provide cleaner and safer facilities but also generate renewable energy from human waste.

Co-Lead of the awareness walk, Shalom Ernest, said the exercise is designed to sensitise residents to the dangers of open defecation and indiscriminate urination while encouraging greater personal responsibility for environmental hygiene.

He noted that the 10-kilometre distance symbolises the long journeys many residents undertake to access decent public toilets, underscoring the urgent need for increased investment in sanitation infrastructure across Lagos.