The Lagos State Government has directed banks, eateries, and petrol filling stations to allow members of the public to use their toilet facilities as part of measures to curb open defecation and improve sanitation across the state.
Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed the instruction in 2025 while providing an update on the state’s public sanitation drive. “Every petrol filling station and eatery was compelled to allow members of the public to use their toilet facilities,” Wahab said.
The directive comes as Lagos intensifies efforts to tackle open defecation amid a severe shortage of public conveniences. Wahab revealed that a total of 1,710 public toilets exist in the state, amounting to roughly one toilet per 14,000 residents, with 150 more under construction.
To bridge the gap, the government said it has partnered with the private sector to expand access. “The state government has provided 1,710 public toilets while petrol and gas stations provided 3,000 public toilets and 150 toilets were provided in the markets across the state,” Wahab stated during a ministerial press briefing in Alausa to mark the second year of the second term of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He added that the state is working on providing additional 250 public toilets in markets through a public private sector participation arrangement.
Wahab said the state needs to embark on a lot of advocacy and enlightenment programmes for members of the public to enforce the ban on open defecation. “Why are people not making use of the public toilet, people must be responsible,” he asked.
The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources is also pushing a broader plan to scale up facilities. Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite, said the state is proposing 100 public facility units containing 10,000 toilet units across Lagos communities. The move, he said, “demonstrated the commitment to ending open defecation in Lagos State while creating investment opportunities”.
The government has warned that it will enforce compliance with sanitation laws and penalise open defecators. Wahab maintained that enforcement is a way to make people change from bad behaviour. In recent months, the Lagos State Wastewater Management Office has sealed public toilets and other facilities for environmental violations, including the deliberate discharge of untreated sewage into the environment.
“Our target remains clear, which is to make Lagos Open Defecation Free in line with the national target by 2030, and to ensure that every Lagosian has access to a clean and safe toilet, irrespective of where they live,” Wahab said, represented by MD/CEO Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency, Mr Fatiu A. Akiolu.
