Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, revealed during a press briefing marking the 2023 World Toilet Day in Abuja that an alarming 48 million Nigerians practice open defecation.
The Minister emphasized the necessity of deploying all regulatory frameworks to ensure effective enforcement and compliance with sanitation laws.
He highlighted the lack of proper funding for sanitation projects as a significant challenge, leading to inadequate toilet facilities, especially in states prone to cholera outbreaks.
Lawal stressed the pivotal role of toilets in public health and environmental protection. He outlined the grim consequences of underfunded and poorly managed sanitation systems, resulting in health hazards, economic downturn, and environmental degradation, primarily affecting marginalized communities.
He particularly underscored the dire consequences of poor excreta disposal, citing diarrhoea as a leading cause of mortality among children under five and recurring cholera outbreaks.
The Minister urged stakeholders to take practical actions and collective responsibility to ensure universal access to toilets across Nigeria, calling for joint efforts from government institutions, private entities, and citizens.
On his part, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Terlumun Utsev, highlighted that only 18% of Nigerians have access to properly managed sanitation.
He emphasized the ministry’s commitment to creating an enabling environment through policies and regulations to align individual sanitation behaviors with efforts to enhance sanitation practices.
Utsev called for a collective effort from various sectors, urging everyone to contribute to accelerating progress toward improved sanitation and safe toilets for all.
