Jago Villagers in Oyo Celebrate Their First Toilets After 183 Years

Villagers in Jago, Oyo State, are celebrating a major achievement: after 183 years without toilets, they now have access to proper sanitation facilities, effectively ending open defecation in their community. Reports from PUNCH Newspaper highlight the introduction of Sato Pan toilets, which have greatly improved daily life for many residents by enhancing hygiene and providing relief. ...(CONTINUE READING)

However, the nearby Olufon village still lacks sanitation facilities, and some Jago residents are facing financial difficulties related to the costs of these new toilets.For years, residents in villages like Jago and Olufon in the Ona-Ara Local Government Area had to resort to open defecation, which exposed them to various dangers, including snake bites, disease outbreaks, and contamination of water sources.

Teenager Adeola Rasaki shared her frightening experience of encountering a snake while using the bush as a toilet. This situation is common among many villagers without safe toilet access. In contrast, Jago’s recent installation of Sato Pan toilets has led to hopes for better health and safety among its residents.Despite the positive changes, some villagers are struggling with the financial burden of maintaining the new toilets.

Each Sato Pan toilet costs N70,000 to install. Although a microfinance bank has provided loans to help cover these costs, many residents, who mainly work as farmers and small traders, find it challenging to keep up with monthly repayments. Agnes Faju, a 58-year-old locust bean seller, expressed her frustration about the debt, urging the government for more support. “We now have the toilet, but paying for it is the problem,” she said, highlighting her difficulties in managing the installments.The introduction of these toilets has had a significant impact on community health.

Previously, open defecation had polluted the village river, which served as the main water source for drinking and cooking. During the rainy season, waste would contaminate the river, leading to frequent cholera outbreaks and other waterborne diseases. Community leader Chief Olusegun Oparinde explained the ongoing health risks, stating, “There is no way we won’t have cholera outbreaks from time to time.”

The new toilets have greatly diminished these health threats, but complete sanitation coverage remains an unachieved goal, especially for villages like Olufon that still lack any sanitation facilities.For residents like Jenyo Adeniran, a mother of four who has always had to use the bush, the new toilets symbolize a significant improvement. “We defecate in the bush, and many people have contracted cholera,” she said, reflecting on the health issues caused by previous practices.

While she now has access to a Sato Pan toilet, the ongoing financial strain from repayments is still a major concern, particularly given her low daily income from trading.Experts emphasize the wider implications of this sanitation crisis. Professor Tanimola Akande, a Public Health and Community Medicine specialist at the University of Ilorin, warned that inadequate sanitation creates pathways for disease that extend beyond individual communities. “It is a horrible thing when you defecate in the open; you are making the people around the place susceptible to diseases,” Akande noted, underscoring the urgent need for nationwide improvements in sanitation.

The struggle for basic sanitation in rural areas like Jago and Olufon illustrates a pressing need for more accessible solutions and sustainable financing. According to the 2021 Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping report, poor sanitation costs Nigeria approximately N455 billion annually, about 1.3 percent of the national GDP, due to healthcare expenses and lost productivity.