By Bisola Adeyemo
Nigeria has been ranked second country in the world with 38 million people practising open defecation, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) stated.
Marie-Pierre Poirier, the Regional Director for West and Central Africa, (UNICEF) revealed on Monday in a press statement made available to Guardian news in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
According to the statement, Nigerian youths in collaboration with Ghanaian youths have begun an exercise to eradication open defecation in their countries.
The global agency said the young people ranging from age 10- 24 years were being mobilised to put an end to open defecation because it exacerbates malnutrition and contributes to diarrheal diseases.
UNICEF expressed sadness that the two regions still “accounts for 24 per cent of global open defecation, with 120 million people practicing it”, lamenting that it was a leading cause of child deaths in West and Central Africa.
Poirier noted that making progress requires active involvement of young people, adding: “Nothing can happen for communities without communities, particularly their younger members.”
