By Bisola Adeyemo
The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu said that about 46 million Nigerians are still practising open defecation, adding that the effect of these practices and lack of sensitisation had great implications for universal public health.
Adamu disclosed this at the flag-off ceremony of the “Clean Nigeria” campaign and launch of the National Youth Volunteer Programme (NYVP) on COVID-19 prevention in Jigawa, on Thursday, environews reports
“Statistically, WASH NORM 2019 report showed that only 5 per cent of Nigeria’s population are practicing proper hand-washing, with water and soap at critical times.
“And 61 per cent of households in Jigawa were afflicted with diarrhea, where 5.1 per cent have no access to safely managed water, and one in four Nigerians, about 23 per cent, still defecate in the open.
“This amounts to 46 million people defecating in the open,” the minister, who was represented by the Northwest Coordinator of the ministry, Mr Olaya Olabamidele, said.
According to him, 13.8 per cent of Jigawa’s population only have access to basic sanitation services, which underlines the WASH situation in the state.
“This is only 7.9 per cent of all LGAs in Nigeria and an average of eight Open Defecation Free (ODF) per year. This country will, therefore, need to achieve 143 ODF LGAs per year, to meet the 2025 targets or 72 LGAs per year to end open defecation by 2030,” the minister said.
