By George George Idowu
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, has revealed that Nigeria experiences a substantial annual loss of $3 billion attributed to inadequate sanitation practices, including open defecation and the utilization of unsanitary facilities.
Speaking on Tuesday at the National Workshop on Safely Managed Sanitation in Abuja, Utsev underscored the urgent need to confront these challenges and highlighted Nigeria’s deviation from the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) sanitation target.
Despite ongoing governmental efforts, the country continues to lag behind in achieving global sanitation objectives.
Utsev emphasized that access to safely managed sanitation is not only a fundamental human right but also a crucial foundation for social and economic development.
As the SDG target date of 2030 approaches, progress towards the global SDG sanitation target of safely managed services is off-track, placing Nigeria among those furthest behind.
With only 46% of the population having access to basic sanitation services and a quarter practicing open defecation, Nigeria grapples with significant disparities across wealth quintiles and geographical locations.
“In Nigeria, approximately 46 per cent of the population has access to basic sanitation services, with about a quarter practicing open defecation, and only 18 per cent having access to safely managed services,” Utsev revealed.
Achieving SDG target 6.2 necessitates a fivefold increase in current progress and a threefold rise in investment in the sector.
The Federal Government is unwavering in its commitment to realizing the SDG 6 target for sanitation, recognizing its substantial contribution to national developmental goals and key priority areas.
Utsev stressed the need for heightened investment in the sanitation sector, citing potential contributions to healthcare cost reduction, improved productivity, and overall economic growth.
Referring to a World Bank report, Utsev outlined the economic consequences of poor sanitation, including increased healthcare expenses, diminished productivity, and adverse educational outcomes.
He further emphasized the social costs of open defecation, particularly its impact on dignity and heightened vulnerability, especially for women and girls.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, 48 million Nigerians, representing 23% of the population, still engage in open defecation, with varying rates across different geopolitical zones.
The North-West geopolitical zone has 11 per cent; North-East, 17 per cent; North-Central, 47 per cent; South-West, 24 per cent; South-South, 23 per cent; and South-East, 23 per cent, as highlighted by Mamita Bora Thakkar, the agency’s representative, during a briefing in Maiduguri ahead of the 2023 World Toilet Day celebration.