The Lagos State Government has urged residents to adopt responsible waste disposal habits, saying changing attitudes towards sanitation is critical to tackling climate change, improving public health and building a sustainable environment.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Titilayo Oshodi, made the call yesterday at the unveiling of the WEEPOO Pee-to-Power Project and the 10-Kilometre Walk Against Open Defecation, organised by Fellows of the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy (LJLA).
More than 700 participants converged on Allen Avenue, Ikeja, before embarking on the awareness walk to the LAMATA Bus Terminal in Ojota, where the fellows commissioned a rehabilitated public toilet equipped with biodigester technology that converts human waste into renewable energy.
Participants carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Street No Be Toilet,” “No Toilet, No Poo,” and “Waste to Watt,” while the event also featured the premiere of a documentary on the WEEPOO Pee-to-Power Project.
Oshodi said Lagosians must become more deliberate about sanitation, warning that indiscriminate urination and open defecation continue to threaten public health and the environment.
“We need to be very purposeful about the choices we make around waste disposal. There are designated facilities for waste, and we must use them,” she said.
She noted that Lagos continues to grapple with waste management challenges worsened by climate change, making behavioural change essential.
“That is why we organised this 10-kilometre walk, which ends at a renovated public toilet that will serve commuters and residents. Climate change is about changing our actions and our attitude.”
Oshodi described the Ojota facility as more than a public toilet, saying it represents a circular economy solution capable of converting human waste into clean energy.
“People need to understand that what they see as waste has value. Fecal waste can be converted into green energy and even generate electricity off the grid. This pilot project is one we hope to replicate across local government areas,” she said.
Also speaking, Executive Secretary of the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy, Ayisat Agbaje, said the project was conceived and executed by fellows of the academy as part of their capstone project aimed at solving real-life community challenges.
“Every cohort is challenged to identify a problem and develop a practical solution with measurable impact. This is one of the projects developed by our third cohort,” she said.
Agbaje said the fellows raised funds for the project themselves and worked with relevant government agencies to implement it.
“The idea is to demonstrate that young people can be solution providers. You don’t have to occupy a public office before making meaningful contributions to society.”
She added that the academy’s alumni network monitors and maintains projects executed by previous cohorts to ensure sustainability.
Responding to a question on who should be blamed for open defecation, Agbaje urged Nigerians to take personal responsibility.
“If you do it, it’s your fault. We must stop pointing fingers and start looking at ourselves. Real change begins when each of us decides to become part of the solution,” she said.
Team Lead of the WEEPOO Lagos Project, Dr. Bayode Oke Thomas, said the initiative was conceived after fellows engaged residents, traders, transport workers and community leaders to identify pressing environmental challenges in Lagos.
“We realised the problem was not just about infrastructure. It was about behaviour, perception and culture. Instead of asking how to stop open defecation, we asked how to change the way people think about waste. That became the foundation of the PeePoo to Power Lagos initiative,” he said.
Thomas explained that the project combines improved sanitation facilities with biodigester technology that converts human waste into useful energy, demonstrating the principles of the circular economy.
“Our vision is a Lagos where public sanitation facilities are clean, safe and dignified; where waste becomes value, innovation changes behaviour, and every public facility contributes to healthier communities. This is not merely a sanitation project—it is a movement,” he said.
He added that the project is being implemented in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the Office of Climate Change and Circular Economy, while the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Nigeria Police Force provided traffic management and security during the exercise.
Explaining the technology behind the project, Engineer Hamzah Sirajudeen said the biodigester was installed to replace the conventional septic tank system, which required evacuation every two weeks.
“We looked at the problem and asked ourselves how we could solve it permanently. That was how the idea of installing a biodigester plant came about,” he said.
According to him, the project involved excavating the site to more than three metres before constructing a 30-cubic-metre biodigester capable of handling over 350 toilet users daily.
He explained that waste flows through a chamberless collection system into the biodigester, where it is naturally broken down to produce biogas before passing through filtration and tertiary treatment stages that yield clean water suitable for reuse after further treatment.
Sirajudeen described the facility as an environmentally friendly innovation that reduces pollution, cuts the cost of septic tank evacuation and demonstrates how human waste can be transformed into renewable energy.
He expressed optimism that the Ojota pilot project would serve as a model for similar installations in markets, motor parks and other public facilities across Lagos State.
(The Sun)
