The Managing Editor of Blueprint Newspapers, Mr Clem Oluwole, Monday, called on the federal and state governments to intensify efforts in their fight against open defecation.
Oluwole, who spoke when the Head, Corporate Communications, NOI Polls Limited, Ms Nelly Ohuche, paid a courtesy call to the Corporate Headquarters of the establishment in Abuja, also called on them to embark on massive construction of toilet facilities in public places like motor parks and markets.
This, he said, would not only reduce the challenges of open defecation, but reduce the rising cases of rape in the country, arguing that some of the victims were raped shortly after they openly defecated.
He said: “Open defecation, every year, poses danger and it is not good health wise because some of the females who engage in the act may easily contract infections. And aside infections, some of the young ladies have been raped for defecating openly.
“We had campaigned in the past and we are still saying that the government should build toilet facilities in public places like markets and motor parks. This will not only reduce the cases of rape in our society but it will prevent our ladies from the hazard attached to the open defecation’’.
Oluwole, who was flanked by the Editor of the paper, Mallam Abdulrahman A. Abdulraul, however, pledged to give the visiting team the necessary support to propagate the activities of the company.
Earlier, the Head of Corporate Communications, NOI Polls Limited, a data research company, Ms Nelly Ohuche, had said her company was into poll aggregation, and research on social issues within and outside the country.
Ohuche, who said her company had previously conducted polls on open defecation, Covid-19 vaccines, among other topical issues, however, solicited the support of Blueprint in the dissemination of its results to the public.
