For long, workers have cried out over the deplorable state of toilets in the Federal Secretariat, Abuja. Will the five-year mandatory public building renovation policy by the federal government save the situation?
To answer the call of nature is a must. Therefore, wherever humans are, conveniences are provided. But it is not just building, conveniences must be properly maintained if they are to serve their purpose. In this report, Mimidoo Patrick reports the unsightly conditions of toilets in public buildings owing chiefly to poor maintenance.
The urge to ease oneself most often comes without much warning. When such an urge arises, it should be conveniently responded to. However, that is not so in many government offices across the country.
The embarrassment that this could cause is better imagined than experienced. Where would a person outside home, who suddenly feels the need to use a convenience, ease himself or herself without debasing his/her dignity?
Our reporter who visited the federal secretariat Abuja where many federal ministries are sited observed that toilets are in deplorable state. They are messed up due to inadequate water supply while some are completely abandoned as a result of their deplorable condition.
For instance, a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing located in the federal secretariat complex is a complete opposite of what a public toilet represents in a modern society.
However, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing is not the only one with the challenge of an awful toilet. Most ministries’ toilets’ are in a state of disrepair and disuse. Some roofs have caved in as a result of pressure exerted on them by rainstorm, while in some cases the ceilings and windows are in dire need of repairs as they are falling off.
Some of the toilets have been invaded by rodents and insects. Some workers defecate in a nearby bush due to lack of water in the toilet facilities.
A worker in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) who spoke to Viewpoint Housing News on condition of anonymity said that she has trained herself in such a way that she does not ease herself while at work until she closes.
According to the worker, “After I contacted an infection that almost cost me my marriage — because my husband was negative when we both conducted the test — I decided never to use the toilet in the office.”
She blamed the poor and unhygienic state of public toilets on the bad habits of some users and the lack of steady water supply in some neighborhoods.
She stressed the need for the government to put toilet facilities in good condition, while ensuring that competent persons are engaged to properly manage the toilets.
She emphasised the need for people to imbibe a new culture that treats toilets as inalienable part of their residences. “We need to redefine our culture, not just with regard to public toilets but also in relation to private toilets,” she said.
Another worker with the Federal Ministry of Communications who gave her name as Mary said she normally applies sanitizers before making use of the toilet in her office.
Mary said she was restrained in a doorway early one morning after she resumed work due to a running stomach. That she was sweating profusely and experienced agonizing pain because she needed to ease herself but there was no water in the toilet.
Someone had used the toilet without flushing it before she entered, so she had no choice but to dash to the car park to ease herself there.
The Unhealthy Ministry of Health
In the Federal Ministry of Health, although some toilets have been renovated, there are still things to be done to make them conducive for workers whenever they need to answer the call of nature while in office.
The toilets in the buildings are only for a selected few who take turns to clean them by themselves due to lack of cleaners. Cleaners who had not been paid for some time have stopped work.
Viewpoint Housing News gathered that some of the toilets that were clean were reserved for some directors in the ministry. They alone keep keys to the doors to access the toilets whenever they need to ease themselves.
One of the workers in the ministry who spoke on condition of anonymity said toilets in the health ministry despite being a policy agency in the health sector in Nigeria is not different from what is obtainable in other ministries.
“I believe a building like Ministry of Health should lead by example but the state of public toilets here is a disgrace to the government,” she said.
The facility reportedly built a long time ago has not been renovated.
Ministry of Sports
The situation in the Federal Ministry of Sports is not different. As one walks around the toilets environment, one is greeted by an offensive odour from stagnant urine.
When contacted, a staff of the ministry who gave his name as Emeka, who was apparently coming out of a stinky toilet described the situation as an eyesore that requires urgent attention by the government.
He stressed that public toilet users should always be mindful of the fact that other people are coming to use the toilets after them. He urged toilet users to always ensure that toilets are kept clean always.
Also speaking, Mrs Ezinne Nwanyoma, a public health specialist said that a lot of diseases in the society could be prevented with the people’s behavioural change towards the use public toilets.
She said that dirty toilets have a lot of environmental and health implications, adding that dirty toilets are filthy sights and could aid the spread of viral and bacterial diseases.
She urged Nigerians to always clean their home toilets and extend same habit to those in their neighborhoods. She said that although public toilets are not in good condition, a positive change could be achieved if all Nigerians become staunch advocates for clean toilets and environments.
Efforts to reach the director in charge of maintenance at the federal secretariat proved abortive. A maintenance officer with SGF who also pleaded anonymity said since the inception of President Mohammadu Buhari-led administration, there has not been budget for maintenance.
He added that the government was striving hard to ensure that necessary things were always available for the overhaul of the buildings. He noted, “Hopefully, the renovation will start soon. It is supposed to be a serene environment.” He said that the government was working hard to address the challenges.
According to him, “Most public buildings need urgent attention as many public toilet facilities across the county are nothing to write home about.”
Apart from the sorry state of the walls, the roofs beg for attention and some toilet seats have chipped, cracked or fallen.
It would be recalled that the federal government recently announced a five-year mandatory building renovation policy. But experts are critical of the policy saying unprofessionalism in the building sector where substandard materials are used set the deterioration of buildings even before they are a year old. And for the huge costs involved, it is not clear how the policy can take effect.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola who made this policy public has not explained how finances would be sourced to make it work.
