By David Odama

LAFIA—Nasarawa state government, yesterday, warned residents that the state government would commence the prosecution of those caught defecating in the open.

The Director of Public Health in the state’s  Ministry of Health, Dr. Ibrahim Alhassan, dis-closed this to Vanguard, saying government was currently collaborating with other agencies to enforce the law on open defecation.

According to Alhassan, the measure by the state government in enforcing the law is to promote personnel and environmental hygiene, while preventing outbreak of diseases.

The director, who said that open defecation exposes people to diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever, added: “We are making efforts with the Department of Environmental Service to first of all create awareness among people on why they should refrain from open defecation.

Gov. Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State

“The sensitisation would be more in rural communities because we discovered that most people in rural areas are ignorant of the health implication of their actions.

“Based on the records before us, most houses in the villages were built without toilet facilities because to the people in the villages, defecation in the bush is a normal thing.”

The director, who called on all house owners to ensure that there was provision for toilet facilities to complement govern-ment’s efforts in ending open defecation, however, gave assurance that the government is putting in place measures that will help check the excesses and reduce outbreak of diseases in the states.