The Kwara State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating open defecation through intensified public awareness campaigns and stricter monitoring measures.

Speaking in Ilorin during a stakeholder engagement in Wara, the headquarters of Ilorin West Local Government, the General Manager of the Kwara State Rural Water Sanitation Agency (RUWASA), Mr. Olorunfemi Oladipo, emphasized the importance of grassroots involvement in achieving a cleaner and healthier environment.

He announced plans to establish a joint local and state monitoring task force to ensure that every household in the state has at least one toilet, thereby discouraging open defecation. According to him, local government authorities, being closer to the people, will play a crucial role in achieving this goal.

Oladipo highlighted the agency’s ongoing “Clean Kwara Campaign,” aimed at fulfilling Goal 6 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which focuses on clean water and sanitation for all. He reiterated the state government’s commitment to expanding access to potable water and sanitation facilities and urged stakeholders to support the administration’s efforts toward making Kwara an open-defecation-free state.

In his remarks, the Chairman of Ilorin West Local Government Council, Alhaji Abdulrahman Babatunde Ladan, lauded the government’s initiatives and revealed that provisions have been made in the 2025 budget to construct toilets in schools, markets, and public places, along with boreholes to serve various communities.

With sustained efforts and collaboration between government agencies and local councils, Kwara State aims to achieve significant progress in public hygiene and sanitation.