Cross River State House of Assembly (CRHA) has organized a public hearing on the Cross River State Open Defecation (Prohibition) Bill, 2025 aimed at prohibiting open defection in the State.
This is a decisive step by the Assembly towards eliminating environmental and public health hazards.
The hearing, organised by the House Committee on Water Resources and Sanitation, took place at the Mini Auditorium of the Assembly Complex in Calabar.
It provided a platform for stakeholders, civil society groups, and the executive arm to refine the legislative framework aimed at making the State open-defecation-free (ODF).
The proposed legislation seeks to mandate every household and public institution in the State to provide functional toilet facilities.
Under the bill, it is strictly prohibited for any person to urinate or defecate in public spaces, bushes, or water bodies.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the hearing, the Chairman of the Committee and Sponsor of the Bill, Mr Kingsley Ntui (Etung) said the bill aims to address the menace of open defecation and solve key health challenges that such practice has caused in the State.
“When you look around, especially in our rural areas or even urban towns, you’ll find that people often defecate around uncompleted buildings. Similarly, people also defecate in streams where others bathe and drink from. You know what a health risk that poses.”
Ntui commended all stakeholders for their insights and contributions, noting that in the nearest future, open defecation would be a punishable offence with penalties clearly spelt out in the bill.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and Chairman of STG-WASH, Engr. Okon Ita, described the public hearing as “first of its kind in the country,” stressing that the passage of the bill would give Cross River State another opportunity to take the lead in the sanitation sector.
“The first six local governments to address open defecation in the country are from Cross River State. At some point, we saw progress slipping, but I believe this is another opportunity for us to take it up again and move to a higher level,” he said.
In his own contributions, the General Manager of the Cross River State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Mr. Sunday Oko underscored the importance of the bill to his agency, saying it would guide implementation in all matters related to sanitation and allow the agency to prosecute offenders.
“If it is passed into law, it will greatly aid the agency. That’s been our challenge in tackling open defecation – there’s been no law. This law will help us, our communities, and State, Mr Oko stated.
On his part, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Erasmus Ekpang, commended the State House of Assembly for their due diligence noting that the bill is in line with Governor Bassey Otu’s “People First Agenda”.
According to him, the public hearing gave room for the input of the common man and every stakeholder concerned about changing the trend in the State. He gave the assurance that Governor Otu would give assent to the bill as soon as it is presented to him.
During the engagement, other stakeholders from the civil society and legal sectors including environmental health officers stressed the need to ensure the law is practical and inclusive, while urging the government to ensure that public toilet facilities are made available and placed in strategic locations before strict enforcement begins.
The bill is expected to undergo a final review by the committee before being presented for a third reading and eventual passage.
