By Abbas Nazil
Nigeria’s environment is under growing threat from widespread open defecation, which pollutes rivers, contaminates groundwater, and degrades soil quality.
Experts warn that unless urgent action is taken, the nation risks missing its 2030 target of achieving nationwide sanitation.
Nearly 48 million citizens still lack access to toilets, exposing both the environment and communities to severe hazards.
Contaminated water sources caused by human waste are driving cholera, diarrhoea, and other disease outbreaks.
This environmental crisis also weakens food security, as untreated waste often seeps into farmland, lowering soil fertility and threatening crop yields.
Health experts add that poor sanitation contributes to over 100,000 child deaths annually from diarrhoea and cholera.
It also costs the nation an estimated N455 billion every year in lost productivity and healthcare expenses.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, only nine percent of households have access to basic sanitation, while 44 percent use improved services.
The majority continue unsafe practices, widening the sanitation gap across urban slums and rural communities.
The crisis is most severe in the North-Central region, followed closely by the South-West.
Jigawa remains the only state declared open defecation-free, underscoring the uneven progress nationwide.
UNICEF has repeatedly sounded the alarm, with its Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, warning that poor sanitation undermines gains in child health, nutrition, and environmental sustainability.
She urged urgent investments and stronger political will to scale up sanitation services.
Despite government declarations, including the state of emergency in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector and the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign, implementation has been slow and fragmented.
Many state-level pledges to build public toilets remain unfulfilled, especially in Lagos, Rivers, Benue, and Borno.
Experts stress that tackling open defecation is not only a health issue but a critical environmental one.
They call for increased budget allocations, awareness campaigns, and collaboration with NGOs to construct more public toilets.
They also recommend stricter enforcement of sanitation laws alongside community education to drive behavioural change.
Without urgent and coordinated efforts, Nigeria risks falling short of its 2030 sanitation target.
This failure would leave millions vulnerable to pollution-driven diseases, poverty, and environmental degradation.
