The Executive Director of HipCity Innovation Centre, Bassey Bassey, has urged the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities to enforce stricter laws to combat open defecation, as no area council in the FCT is currently certified open defecation free.
Speaking at the first Abuja Urban Sanitation Conference held to commemorate World Toilet Day, Bassey lamented the widespread practice in the nation’s capital. He commended the Federal Government’s revised strategy to end open defecation, emphasizing the importance of localizing the initiative to achieve tangible results in the FCT.
Bassey highlighted the Abuja Sanitation Conference as a vital step toward making the FCT open defecation free by 2030, calling for collaborative efforts between stakeholders. He stressed the potential of turning human waste into valuable resources like biogas, aligning with circular economy principles practiced in countries like India and China.
The conference also introduced HipCity’s “Swag Toilet” initiative, aimed at empowering youth in sanitation jobs and raising awareness about sustainable practices in local communities. Bassey underscored the role of private sector partnerships in achieving sanitation goals.
