World Toilet Day: 2025 deadline for Nigeria to end open defecation threatened – Minister

The Minister of Water Resources Engr. Suleiman Adamu has said only 71 local government areas out of 774 are open defecation free (ODF) saying this is a threat to the 2025 deadline set for the country to end the practice.

This is just as 46 million Nigerians lack access to toilet facilities. 

Adamu disclosed this on Friday during the 2021 World Toilet Day celebration with the theme “Valuing Toilets” and the second anniversary of the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ Campaign jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with other stakeholders. 

The Minister said an estimated 494 million people are practicing open defecation globally of which 46 million are Nigerians which ranks Nigeria among the countries with the highest number of people involved in ODF.

He said the practice of open defecation due to non-availability of sanitation facilities is linked to sanitation related diseases, poor educational outcome and loss of productivity, in addition to the lack of dignity, inconvenience and violence experienced by women and girls, when practicing open defecation.

“We now have 71 ODF LGAs and additional LGAs are undergoing the ODF validation process using the national protocol developed by the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS). 

“Besides this, over 20,000 communities in other LGAs across the country have been certified as open defecation free in line with the protocol.”

The Minister of State for Environment, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor said access to sanitary facilities remains a big challenge to a vast majority of our citizenry.

 

The Minister noted that many institutions, households and schools do not have sanitary facilities and where they exist, they are either not functioning or misused. 

“Out of the world’s 7.8 billion people, 4.2 billion still defecate in the open while about 47 million Nigerians still practice open defecation, using the bush and water bodies as their regular means for excreta disposal.” She said

Represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Environment  Engr Hassan Musa, the Minister  said toilets play a crucial role in creating a strong economy as well as improving health and protecting people’s safety and dignity especially women and girls, who need clean and separate facilities to manage menstruation. 

In a goodwill message,  UNICEF representative Dr Jean Gough said Nigeria should not be celebrating World Toilet Day when alot of people lack access to facilities.