THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION PROGRAMME IN EDO STATE, A CASE STUDY OF OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE.

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ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to investigate eectiveness of the environmental sanitation programme on the people of Oredo Local Government Area in Edo State of Nigeria. The local government have recently adopted a dynamic approach to the issue of the environmental health problems through self-help and self-initiative. It is hoped that such a self initiative would go along way inminimizing cost, of health care delivery and make health practice realto the people. It is also assumed that such a programme would obviously have some significant effectiveness on the physical psychological and sociological and economic growth and development of the community in which it operates. To investigate these assertions, three hundred (300) people from fifteen (15) different areas in Benin city of the local sanitation task force in different areas were used for the study. At least twenty (20) respondents were randomly selected from each of the sub-areas for the data collection. The instruments use for the collection of data were questionnaires, oral interviews, documentary evidences and participant observation. The data were analyzed using percentage scores. The result of the study show that a dynamic new programme of environmental sanitation indeed exists in Benin City. And it was also found that the programme has contributed significantly towards the physical, psychological, sociological and economic development of the community. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended among other things that: 1. Every community should emulate the urban experiment were by the environmental health care delivery is the responsibility of all the sundry. 2. Children of ender age should be involved in keeping their surrounding clean, in order to “catch them young” towards “Health for all by the year 2,000”.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

It is believed that God created man representative to be in control of the environment and make the best out of it. But man in his search for daily bread, quest for knowledge and materials wealth, has turned round to pollute the beautiful environment. From the earliest times man has been striving to control the environment. But as said earlier, man owns the health and life. That is why he found himself from the dragon headed problems he has caused himself in recent times. Environmental sanitation has become a topical subject at international, national state and local spheres. This is aim at initiating action to arrest the fast deteriorating environmental health status worldwide. In Nigeria, today the congestion of people in urban areas which is mainly as a result of rural urban migration the concentration of industrial establishment and share increase in population have made the control of the environment imperative and equally challenging. To improve the general environmental sanitation of the major town in Nigeria has always constituted a big problem to both individual and government with the result that the town/cities are being strangulated by things generated by the inhabitant. The result of this condition is environmental pollution in all its ramification.

The problem of pollution has also found its way into the political area and every community in every state has been confronted difficulties of his environment. To the man concern regarding pollution is the adverse effect exerted on the health of the people. The problems of poor sanitation and unhygienic behaviour among the majority of Nigerians are so serious that the federal military government had to come into check the situation towards achieving “health for all by the year 2013” as declared by the world health organization (WHO). Several strategies were mapped out and adopted by the federal government (the military regime in 2013 to achieve this objective. Consequently, the environmental sanitation programmes were mounted throughout the federation. This was followed by the establishment of the “task force on environmental sanitation” at both state and local levels to coordinate this elaborate programme. Environmental sanitation committees were appointed with members down from various walks of life.

Serious sanitation were imposed on individuals public and private establishment or corporate bodies who fell short of the expected governments guidelines on environmental sanitation or health habits and practices. For instance, dirty filthy private premises dumping of refuse in unauthorized places. Urinating or defecating in public places were punishable by the fine ranging from N 100-1000, or punishment as the case may be. Food hygiene, street trading, unauthorized parking of vehicles were also areas of concern which were also embedded in WAI “War Against Indiscipline” meant to inculcate in people correct healthful living habits, attitude and practices. Later, incentives were put and the programme became competitive in nature among the various state and local government areas of the federal republic of Nigeria. Consciously or unconsciously, most of our town and cities were given some face-lift for sometime. Health implication of their poor health habits and practices the motives of the environmental sanitation programme are often misunderstood to their “statuquo” when they are no longer closely supervised.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION PROGRAMME IN EDO STATE, A CASE STUDY OF OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE.