Federal Govt Blames States As 48m Nigerians Still Defecate Openly

The report of the 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM 111), has shown an increase in the number of Nigerians practicing open defecation, from 46million in 2019 to 48million in 2021.

The report, which presents the state of water, sanitation and hygiene in the country, also showed that 83 per cent of household members in the country lack access to basic hygiene services.

It revealed the low status of the country’s WASH sector, with 90per cent of the country’s population lacking access to complete basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

“The overall status of the WASH sector in Nigeria is low. Only 10 per cent of the population have access to complete basic water, sanitation and hygiene services, using the global JMP definition.

“Those living in rural areas are three times more disadvantaged than those in urban areas,” the report stated.

Speaking during the launch of the report in Abuja, the minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, frowned that despite the federal government’s efforts to ensure sustainable WASH services at all levels, many state governments were yet to complement the efforts.

He said, “The high rate of non-functionality of most urban utilities is a call for concern and must be addressed squarely if the nation must target safely managed access to WASH services by 2030.

“The bleak status of integrated WASH services within households, institutions and in communities unmasked the need for a comprehensive approach to WASH which must include expanding safe and reliable water systems, providing direct investments or promoting households’ investments in sanitation and carrying out community level health and hygiene awareness campaigns.”

The survey was conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), under the overall leadership of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources with technical and financial support from the United Nation’s Children Funds (UNICEF).