Open defecation: Nigeria requires 20 million toilets – CNG

Nigeria requires the construction of about 20 million household toilets and 43,000 toilets in schools, health centres and public places to achieve Open Defection Free environment, Clean Nigeria Campaign, an agency of the Federal Government, has said.

According to the CNC, with 46 million people in Nigeria practising open defecation, achieving such construction will gulp an average annual investment of about N100bn.

It was reported that “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’’ campaign was approved by the Federal Executive Council on May 8 2019 to ensure that all households were mobilised to provide their sanitation facilities.

The acting National Coordinator of CNC, Chizoma Opara, represented by the agency’s Head (Planning and Monitoring), Godwin Dunia, stated these in her paper entitled: ‘An overview of the Clean Nigeria: Use the toilet’ campaign, during the unveiling of The Patriots Assembly by Support Nigeria Initiative in Abuja.

The CNC also outlined top 10 countries in terms of number of persons practising open defecation (2000-2015).

Opara said, “Presently in Nigeria, 46 million people defecate in the open. Achieving an ODF Nigeria will require constructing nearly 20 million household toilets and 43,000 toilets in schools, health centres and public places requiring an average annual investment of about N100bn (approximately 75 per cent household investment and 25 per cent government contribution).

“According to World Bank estimates, the annual growth of global sanitation market will be from $6bn in 2007 to US$14bn in 2020. This has huge potential for generating employment for our youths.

“India between 2015 and 2019 has reduced its open defecation population from 550 million to less than 100,000 million. The entire rural India is open defecation free.

“Indonesia has climbed down to fourth place from second; Pakistan has climbed down to fifth place from third. Nigeria has climbed up from sixth to second position; Bangladesh has dropped from seventh to an open defecation free country.”

At the event, the Director-General of SNI, Kingsley Ogbebor, said the organisation aimed to expose the youths to the harmful effects of open defection.

The organisation, he said, also promote the development of modern and improved toilet facilities through sanitation marketing, strengthening partnership and coordinating between government and non-government organisations.