Bauchi Stakeholders advocates female, PWDs friendly public toilet
By Ahmed Ahmed
Bauchi Stakeholders have advocated for the provision of friendly public toilets for females and Persons Living With Disabilities (PWDs) to enable them have easy access to conveniences in the state.
The stakeholders are Civil Society Organisations, Govt. officials from Rural Water Agency, Environment Protection Agency, Ministry of Environment, Toilets Operators, Leaders from Market, Motorparks, Women leaders, People With Disability , WASH Media Network among others.
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They made the call at the one day Impact Accelerator Prototyping workshop, organized by Wateraid incolabration with Bauchi State Government with funding from Australia donor known as “Who Gives a Crap ” on Thursday in Bauchi.
The stakeholders stressed that public toilets in motor parks, markets and worship places should have women friendly toilets facilities that would also be used by PWDs, who may visit the facilities with wheelchairs.
Mr Mashat Mallo, Programme Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Officer, WaterAid Nigeria in Bauchi said the workshop was aimed at validating and coming up with ideas to address the problems and issues reflected at the recent assessment of public toilets
Recently, stakeholders conducted an accessibility and safety audit and mapped out public toilets in the state
On his part, Alhaji Mohammed Usman Saleh, Director, Inspection and enforcement with Bauchi state Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), noted that most of public toilets facilities do not accommodate women and the PWDs.
He recommended that a flat platform should be constructed to allow everyone to have access including women and PWDs.
Also Speaking, Malam Abubakar Usman, Toilet Business Operator, has called on the government to support the operators to provide high-quality public toilets with women’s requirements to alleviate the problem of female harassment.
He said the authorities need to act now to ensure the safety and well-being of all women and indeed other marginalized groups in the Society.
On his part, Mr David Ayodele, Chairman Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Media Network in Bauchi urged the relevant government agencies to constantly monitor public toilets to ensure proper maintenance of the facilities.
A Consultant with Wateraid Nigeria, Engineer Ojelabe Mayokun in his presentation emphasizes designing friendly toilets for women and PWDs to enable them feel confident, safe, and dignified while managing their daily sanitation needs.
