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Oyo State House of Assembly has said that residents who defecate openly in any part of the state will begin to serve one-week non-custodial punishment or pay N5,000 fine.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Muhammed Fadeyi, disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview with journalists in Ibadan.
He said that the punishment attached to open defecation is sequel to a bill being considered by the Assembly, adding that any person who deposits faeces in an open place is liable to punishment.
Fadeyi, who represents Ona Ara State Constituency, said when the bill titled, ‘Oyo State Open Defecation Prohibition Bill 2020’ becomes law, open defecation in any part of the state would become prohibited.
He said that any person who owns a building and refuses to provide toilet facilities within three months from when the bill becomes law commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for three months or a fine of N50,000 or both.
He said: “Oyo State Open Defecation Prohibition Bill 2020 is to herald a law that would prohibit open defecation in Oyo State. We need to eradicate open defecation in the state. When it becomes law, any person who defecates in open place commits an offence and is liable to a fine of N5,000 or non-custodial punishment for one week.
“It is at the committee level, very soon we will do a public hearing on it. Any person who owns a premise shall make provision for toilet facilities within such premise. Any person who owns a premise and refuses or fails to provide toilet facilities within three months from the commencement of this bill commits an offence and is liable to conviction to imprisonment for three months or a fine of N50,000 or both.”
