Jakande fellows intensify campaign against open defecation with awareness walk

By Adeola Ogunrinde

Fellows of the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy will stage a 10-kilometre awareness walk in Lagos on Saturday, July 25, to promote improved sanitation, behavioural change and cleaner public spaces across the state.

The walk, which will run from Allen Junction to the LAMATA Motor Park in Ojota, is part of the fellows’ flagship capstone project, “Pee-Poo to Power Lagos,” an initiative aimed at tackling open defecation and indiscriminate urination by converting human waste into clean energy through biodigester technology.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos, the project’s Team Lead, Bayode Oke-Thomas, said the initiative was developed after months of research, stakeholder engagement and community consultations identified poor sanitation as a major public health and environmental challenge in the state.

He explained that the project combines modern sanitation infrastructure with a circular economy model capable of converting human waste into biogas while encouraging behavioural change through sustained public awareness campaigns.

According to Oke-Thomas, the team has proposed a pilot sanitation hub at a busy transport terminal where upgraded public toilets would provide cleaner facilities while generating renewable energy from human waste.

Meanwhile, the Co-Lead of the awareness walk, Shalom Ernest, said the exercise is designed to educate residents about the dangers of open defecation and indiscriminate urination while encouraging greater personal responsibility for environmental hygiene.

Ernest added that participants will assemble at Allen Junction before proceeding to Ojota, where the event will end with the screening of a documentary highlighting the project’s development, sustainability model and future expansion plans, while medical personnel, security agencies and emergency responders will be on hand to ensure participants’ safety.

Also speaking, Oluwatosin Alabi described walk as a movement to transform waste into economic opportunities, expressing confidence that the initiative supports the Lagos State Government’s vision of building cleaner, healthier and more sustainable communities through improved sanitation and renewable energy solutions.