As Nigeria observes World Toilet Day today, a UNICEF report has revealed that at least 50 million people in the country practice open defecation. Also, about 119 million persons are without safe toilets which put the population at health risks.
This figures put Nigeria among the top five countries in the world with high population practising open defecation increasing since 1990, UNICEF said.
According to the Ministry of Health Epidemiological Report, there has been an upsurge in cholera cases in Nigeria, which is primarily due to poor sanitation and hygiene practices in the country.
The recent epidemiology report from the Ministry reveals that Nigeria has recorded 34,825 cases of cholera as against 2882 cases over the same period in 2013.
The report also stated that, “Every year over 150,000 Nigerian children die from diarrhoea alone, largely caused by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene practices”.
Globally, some 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have adequate toilets and among them 1 billion defecate in the open, adding that slow progress in sanitation puts children and communities at risk, UNICEF warned.
The call to end the practice of open defecation is being made with growing insistence from United Nations which is being led by the office of Deputy Secretary General, encouraging countries to prioritize investments in sanitation and develop appropriate interventions to end this menace.
In response to this call, the Nigerian government has shown commitments to end open defecation by 2025, a target which is not only commendable but achievable considering Nigeria’s potential. A country that has 75 percent of its households having mobile phones can easily mobilize the people to have simple toilets and end open defecation.
Towards achieving the set target, UNICEF Nigeria is supporting the government to develop a national roadmap for elimination of open defecation in the country by 2025.
Source: Biafragalaxynews
