More than one hundred million Nigerians lack access to basic sanitation and Toilet.
This is according to estimates from the world health organisation and United nations children’s fund’s joint monitoring program’s update report for 2023.
The data places the country as one of those with the highest number of people practicing open defecation, globally.
It is against this background that experts at this year’s commemoration of the world toilet day, believe that Nigeria can become open defecation free by 2025 with the right policies and campaigns in place.
Nigeria emerged the open defecation capital of the world in 2019 with an estimated 48 million people still practicing open defection in the country.
Since then, campaigns and policies have been put in place to ensure the tide changes.
This includes the launch of the national action plan for the revitalization of the wash sector and the presidential declaration of a state of emergency on wash in 2018.
Only about 18 percent of the country’s population have access to safely managed sanitation and 46 percent with basic access to sanitation.
Ayuba Luka and promise Sunday both have small scale businesses in this upscale area of Abuja, they say despite being surrounded by massive structures, they do not have access to toilet.
The ongoing wash interventions have so far helped over 40 thousand communities and 105 LGAs achieve an open defecation free status.
Speakers at this world toilet day’s commemoration, feel a lot more needs to be done to attain the 2025 target of ending open defecation across Nigeria.
The Minister of water resources and sanitation alongside the minister of environment, say issues surrounding ending open defecation will be taken more seriously as everyone needs to play their part.
In a 2012 report, the world bank revealed that poor sanitation was responsible for the loss of 455 billion Naira yearly but eliminating the practice would require less than 6.5 million toilets to be built and used.
This theme for this year’s world Toilet day is accelerating change, and experts admit progress made towards meeting the goals of the water, sanitation and hygiene sector has been slow globally.
This has left many citizens like Promise and Ayuba with barely any option, in their business places than open defecation.
