The Federal Government has been advised to enact laws that will give the last Saturday of every month environmental sanitation exercise a legal backing to compel Nigerians to carry out the exercise in their respective domains on that day.
Immediate past President of the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria, Kogi State Chapter, Solomon Anyegwu said, there is also the need for adequate budgetary allocation for environmental sanitation as that is the only way to keep the environment clean and prevent the outbreak of cholera and other communicable diseases.
Cholera, which is a communicable disease resulting from contaminated water and other unhealthy practices, is currently ravaging some states in Nigeria with a high number of deaths in some states.
Anyegwu and other Environmental health activists attributed the outbreak of cholera and other water-borne diseases to poor sanitary practices, especially disposal of waste into waterways.
Solomon Anyegwu, Reverend Father John Aikoye, and Samuel Ogbole agree that last Saturday environmental sanitation should be enforced with the backing of the law so that Nigerians can be compelled to observe it.
They also appeal to the federal at all levels to employ additional environmental and sanitation officers across all the 777 local government areas in Nigeria.
(Editor: Abaje Usekwe)