Osun State government has resolved to reposition its environmental sanitation exercise to make good sanitation habit and practices part and parcel of every citizen of the state.

Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Kazeem Ademola Adio, disclosed this during a sensitisation programme to commemorate the National Environmental Sanitation Day in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

He said the ministry was also planning to achieve an enduring healthy environment for the promotion of health and economic development, adding that it had embarked on aggressive mobilisation/sensitisation of the populace to ensure that people have positive attitudinal change as well as take appropriate steps toward good sanitation practices.

While stressing that importance of good environmental sanitation practices could not be overemphasised, Adio said good sanitation and practices were beacons to economic growth and sustainable development.

According to him, "Apart from promoting good health, it is a beacon to economic growth and sustainable development. Sound sanitation system contributes to dignity and social development of man and also improves aesthetics value of our environment.

"Most of the common diseases that constitute huge burden to our health facilities are as a result of low level of awareness of the adverse environmental and human health impacts of poor personal hygiene and defective waste management system."

He said that the state, last week, witnessed massive sensitisation campaign for cleaning of markets and abattoirs in the state, adding that "the campaign has also been taken to our primary and secondary schools in the state."

The commissioner said further that a pupil in the state is currently representing the South West zone in a quiz competition on environmental sanitation at Abuja.

He explained that the administration of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola was taking steps towards creating enabling environment for effective public-private participation in waste collections and management.

In his lecture, a don, Dr. Peter Bamigboye, called on government to reintroduce the old culture of cleanliness in the nation's education curriculum so as to promote hygiene and effective sanitation practices.

Bamigboye said the old culture of cleanliness being taught in schools in the past must be reintroduced so as to address sanitation problems, which he said, was having ripple effects on other social-economic sectors such as health, education, agriculture and wealth generation.