The Kwara State Government has launched a statewide sensitisation campaign to eradicate open defecation, reaffirming its commitment to improving public health and sanitation across the state.

The initiative, to be implemented by the Kwara State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) in collaboration with Kwara for Kwarans Initiatives, an anti–open defecation advocacy group, is scheduled to commence on January 31, 2026, at Oja Tuntun Market in Ilorin.

According to the government, the campaign will focus on educating market women on the health, social and environmental risks associated with open defecation, while promoting sustainable sanitation and hygiene practices.

Oja Tuntun Market, one of the busiest commercial centres in the state, was selected to ensure wide outreach and meaningful community impact.

The sensitisation programme is expected to attract market women, traditional and community leaders, public health experts and other key stakeholders, alongside senior government officials, reflecting the state’s political will to eliminate open defecation.

Open defecation remains a major public health concern in Nigeria, with more than 47 million people reportedly still engaged in the practice, contributing to the spread of preventable diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid.

The state government said the campaign is part of ongoing policies and partnerships aimed at improving sanitation, hygiene and access to clean water in both rural and urban areas.

It added that engaging market women—who play influential roles in households and communities—is a strategic approach to driving behavioural change beyond market spaces into homes and neighbourhoods.

RUWASSA is leading the technical implementation of the campaign, while Kwara for Kwarans Initiatives will support grassroots engagement to ensure sustainability, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal on clean water and sanitation.