Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State has been officially declared open defecation free (ODF) following a validation exercise by the National Task Group on Sanitation, marking a major milestone in the state’s drive to improve public health and environmental hygiene.
The confirmation, announced by the Clean Nigeria Campaign, followed a rigorous assessment conducted in collaboration with the Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (OYORUWASSA), Ona-Ara Local Government authorities, and technical support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The exercise verified 100 per cent access to functional and hygienic toilet facilities across households and public institutions in the council area.
Chairman of OYORUWASSA, Alhaji Babalola Afobaje, attributed the achievement to the effective implementation of Governor Seyi Makinde’s “Omituntun 2.0” agenda, which prioritises access to clean water and sanitation as critical to public health, economic growth and human dignity. He described Ona-Ara as a model for other local government areas, noting that the success has significantly reduced the incidence of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea.
Afobaje added that the milestone aligns with the state government’s target of achieving open defecation-free status across all 33 local government areas by 2028. He further highlighted the role of the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach in driving behavioural change and community ownership of sanitation practices.
Also speaking, the General Manager of OYORUWASSA, Mr A.M. Adeduntan, said the agency has deployed solar-powered motorised boreholes across Ona-Ara to ensure sustainable access to clean water, stressing that sanitation gains can only be maintained with adequate water supply.
He disclosed that similar interventions are ongoing in other parts of the state, including Ibarapa East and Egbeda local government areas, where efforts are being intensified through environmental law enforcement and improved access to standard sanitation facilities.
The ODF declaration of Ona-Ara is seen as a significant public health victory for Oyo State and a call for other councils to replicate the strategies that led to the achievement.
