Provide toilets or forfeit your buildings – Government warns residents
The Ogun Government has warned landlords in the state, who failed to provide toilets in their buildings, to be prepared to forfeit the property to the government.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya, issued the warning in a statement made available to newsmen in Abeokuta.
Oresanya said that the warning was part of government’s measures meant to eradicate open defecation in the state.
“Henceforth, old houses with collapsed toilets and without provision for new ones and new houses built without toilets will be forfeited to the State Government.
“We are warning the landlords of those houses to either construct toilets or convert rooms to serve as toilets or risk forfeiting their homes to the State Government,” he said.
According to him, the State Government after several warnings and abatement notices spread over several months have given them enough period for compliance, hence any landlord that refused to comply will have to face the consequence.
“We have given the landlords a period for compliance, so we are not ready to persuade anyone again to do the needful.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we are now making it public again that any old or new houses without toilet will be forfeited to the government.
“Afterall, the environmental laws of the state allowed the government to take over such homes in the public interest,” Oresanya said.
He also said that the landlords may be charged for endangering the lives of people living in his or her community.
He, however, called on the residents of the state, Community Development Associations and Central Development Councils to cooperate with the State Government.
He further said that soon, government would start to carry out the forfeiture as part of its efforts to make the state open defecation free. (NAN)
