*48m citizens still practice open defecation
*3.9m toilets needed annually – UNICEF
*State Govts not committed to ODF campaign
By Hauwa Ali and Fatima Saka
In a disappointing revelation, Nigeria’s progress towards achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status by 2025 has been found to be below expectations.
The nation, which has been grappling with a severe sanitation crisis for years, faces significant challenges in addressing open defecation despite concerted efforts by the government and various stakeholders.
Open defecation remains a critical issue in Nigeria, with adverse consequences on public health, the environment, and the overall well-being of its citizens. The ODF campaign, launched by the government in 2016, aimed to eradicate the practice of open defecation by providing access to safe and improved sanitation facilities throughout the country.
However, recent assessments indicate that
Nigeria’s progress in this regard has been sluggish and far from the desired outcome.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria still ranks among the countries with the highest rates of open defecation globally. The latest data shows that approximately 46% of the Nigerian population, over 90 million people, do not have access to proper sanitation facilities and are forced to resort to open defecation.
Nigeria continues to grapple with the daunting challenge of open defecation with startling statistics indicating that approximately 48 million Nigerians, a significant portion of the population, are still engaging in this unhygienic practice
Experts and analysts attribute Nigeria’s struggle end the menace to a combination of factors. Inadequate funding, lack of political will, poor infrastructure, and a dearth of public awareness programs are considered major hindrances to the successful implementation of the ODF campaign.
Moreover, rapid population growth, particularly in urban areas, has put additional strain on the country’s sanitation infrastructure, exacerbating the problem.
As Nigeria intensifies its efforts to combat open defecation and achieve nationwide sanitation, concerns continue to emerged regarding the level of commitment demonstrated by some state governors.
While the Clean Nigeria campaign strives to create a collective and comprehensive approach to end this unhygienic practice, the lack of full commitment from certain state leaders hampers progress and threatens the campaign’s effectiveness.
The lack of complete commitment from some state governors presents a significant challenge to achieving the collective goal of ending open defecation by 2025. Inconsistent implementation of sanitation.programs, inadequate resource allocation, and limited political will can hinder the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at improving sanitation infrastructure and promoting behavioral change.
The situation is further complicated by cultural and traditional beliefs that contribute to the persistence of open defecation practices in some communities. Deep-rooted customs, lack of knowledge about the importance of proper sanitation, and limited access to education on hygiene practices have impeded progress in many regions.
In a renewed effort to combat open defecation in Nigeria, the Clean Nigeria campaign has launched the Toilet Business Conference, aimed at engaging small and medium enterprise owners in the sanitation sector.
The conference seeks to garner support and promote collective action in ending the practice of open defecation across the country by 2025. It also provided a platform for participants to actively support the campaign to end open defecation, focusing on driving the message that sanitation can also be a lucrative venture.
Mrs. Chizorma Opara, the National Coordinator of Clean Nigeria, emphasized the importance of a collective decision to tackle this issue.
She stated, “Ending open defecation is a collective decision. We developed a roadmap in 2016 to end open defecation by 2025. We didn’t plan all these campaigns until 2019. Having planned all these campaigns, we now want a collective action to see how we can jointly end open defecation.”
Opara highlighted the need for political commitment and will to drive the process of eradicating open defecation.
She expressed optimism about the achievability of the goal but stressed the involvement of all levels of government, from the federal to the local, as well as the private sector. The campaign aims to ensure that toilets are available not only in households but also in schools, health sectors, and public places.
The Toilet Business Conference recognizes the potential for economic growth and development in the sanitation sector. By engaging entrepreneurs and business owners who have identified themselves as capable of contributing to sanitation solutions, the conference aims to create awareness about the opportunities that can arise from building businesses around sanitation.
At the conference, the United Nations Children’s Fund [UNICEF} called for the construction of at least 3.9 million toilets annually in Nigeria to achieve the goal of ending open defecation by 2025.
Mrs. Jane Bevan, the UNICEF Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), emphasized the inadequacy of the current toilet construction rate in the country, which stands between 180,000 and 200,000 toilets annually.
She also highlighted the crucial role of toilet business owners in addressing the open defecation challenges in Nigeria.
According to her, it is necessary to adopt new approaches that create demand for toilets. Ms. Bevan emphasized the potential impact of the private sector in ensuring sustainability and strengthening sanitation markets in the country.
Quoting the 2021 WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping on Nigeria’s sanitation status, Ms. Bevan revealed that 48 million people practice open defecation, while 95 million lack access to basic sanitation services.
She also emphasized the economic consequences, stating that poor sanitation access results in an annual loss of about 1.3 percent of GDP or N455 billion, affecting health, healthcare savings, and productivity.
Ms. Bevan highlighted the economic benefits of investing in water and sanitation, ranging from 3 to 34 dollars for every dollar invested.
To achieve the targets set for 2025 and 2030, Ms. Bevan stressed the need to strengthen and scale up proven strategies.
She called for close collaboration between the private sector, all levels of government, and communities to actively create sustainable solutions and address the sanitation needs of unserved and underserved communities, thereby promoting capital investment and human capital growth.