UTILIZATION OF BEHAVIOURAL MODEL FOR EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION PRACTICES IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examines environmental sanitation practices in households within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, focusing on various behavioral models such as spatial interaction,environmentally responsible behavior (ERB), pro-environmental behaviour, theories of planned behavior, reasoned action, and norm activation models. The population comprises all the household within in FCT. Purposeful sampling technique were adopted to sample 311 respondents across 11wards in two area councils, AMAC and Gwagwalada, 21 officials of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and 58 to registered cleaning contractors, making a total of 390respondents in all. Descriptive statistical tools, including frequency counts, tables and simple percentage methods were employed for the data analysis. The Mann-Whitney test and Chi-square test were used to assess relationships. Key findings revealed that 89% of respondents did not sort their waste before disposal, while 85% did not participate in environmental sanitation measures.The study emphasizes the importance of effective sanitation awareness messaging in local languages to ensure comprehension across different educational backgrounds. The paper recommends among others that implementing agencies like AEPB should adopt both punitive and incentivizing measures to ensure compliance. Punitive measures such as prosecution and fines can discourage non-compliance, while rewarding clean communities in the FCT could serve as a positive incentive. This dual approach aims to enhance public participation in environmental sanitation practices and improve overall compliance within the FCT.