'After public toilets increase money na once I dey poo now’

Some pipo for Kano state inside northwest Nigeria dey express worry after public toilets owners association announce 70 percent increase for money to pee or poo for dia facility.

Across Nigeria pipo still dey feel di effect of di petrol subsidy removal and free fall of di kontri currency Naira wey result to cost of living very high at di moment.

One regular customer of one di public toilets for Kano tell BBC say di increase dey really worry am and as a result na only once a day e go dey poo instead of three or four times.

“Before dis increase I dey enter public toilet like three or four times but now I don really reduce am.”

E tok say before di increase na N50 e dey pay to poo but now na with beg dem dey collect N70 from as a regular customer.

Anoda customer tok say e understand di reason for di price increase since price of everything don rise for di kontri.

“Before ordinary pee I dey pay N5 or free sometimes but now some places na N10.”

‘Why we decide to increase di money’

On di oda hand di owners of di public toilets say dem decide to increase money to customers as price of everything wey dem dey buy to maintain di place don also go up.

Misbahu Zakariya na owner of one of di most popular public toilets for Kano wey dey close to Kantin Kwari Textile market and e tok say dia reason for di increase plenty.

“E get particular soap wey we dey buy N140-N150 before but now dat particular soap na N600 and also pomade wey be N200 before now na N700.”

“We dey buy bag of sponges for pipo wey wan bath N1500 but now ma N8000-N9000 per bag so you see say we have to increase as well.”

Misbahu say apart from dis e get some owners wey still dey pay for water and rent.

“Even me I dey pay rent to di building owner and e get some of our members wey dey pay for water monthly as dem no get borehole.”

Isah Sanusi na public health practitioner and e tok say dis development dey worrisome as e go dey lead to more open defecation and ultimately more diseases.

“Dis no be good tin for pipo to dey avoid public toilets because of high price, those same pipo go still find place to dispose wetin dey dia bele.”

“So di major issue na say environment go suffer and pipo too because di more open poo-ing dey happun di more diseases go dey spread.”

“Goment need to build public toilets for pipo espcially for places wey e dey necessary.”

Wetin goment say dem go

Zakari Habu na chairmo of Tarauni local goment area for Kano and di organising secretary of di assocation of local goments for Nigeria ALGON, e tok dis na mata dem go take seriously.

“First thing be say we no agree with dis dia increase and if dem no revert to former price we go also check di taxes wey dem dey pay with a view to increasing am.”

“Di issue of public toilets na one wey dey our hand as local goment chairmen but e get some state goment agencies wey dey play huge role inside.”

“So to me di solution na to make environment conducive for more public toilets to dey operate very cheaply in order to helep pipo since na private business at di moment.”

About 48 million Nigerians still dey practice open defecation, while 95 million dey without access to basic sanitation services, according to WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM 111) 2021 report.