By Daniel Tyokua
The Senate has halted the ongoing constructions of World Bank supported public toilets in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for not meeting the international standards.
The project which is under FCT Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) was initiated to end open defecation in the country especially Abuja.
It is been supported with counterpart funding through a trerpetite arrangements among the world bank, federal government and the FCT Administration.
The chairman Senate committee on the Federal Capital Territory Smart Adeyemi (APC-Kogi) disclosed that during the FCT budget Defence before the Committee.
He ordered the Director of Development Control, Murktar Galadinma, to investigate the genuineness of the approval of land for such construct.
While faulting the design of the public toilets, Adeyemi said any project that was not approved by the national Assembly is illegal, saying the international convention that might ratified construction of public toilets is usurping the constitutional duties of water Secretariat hence the need to subject the RUWASA activities to FCT master plan
He complained that the designs of the pit toilets are obsolete, which is not link to the city central sewage system, not environmental friendly and also that can add to criminality in their various location.
The senator, however maintained that Development Control should stop those project, “we should not make monster of personality at the expense of people and dwindling resources.
In his defense, Solicitor general of the FCT Administration, however suggested that the RUWASA which is world bank intervention project could be reconstituted to meet the gaps noticed in the project execution.
He also correct impression that the toilets provisions is born out of international convention ratification.
