United Nations Educational Fund, UNICEF, said more than 95 million Nigerians lack access to sanitation services.
Coordinator and Officer-in-charge of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Dr Olusoji Akinleye, said this yesterday in Enugu at a media dialogue to mark the 2024 World Toilet Day with the theme, ‘Toilets; a place for peace.’
The day is held every November 19 by the United Nations Observance since 2013.
Akinleye said the sanitation situation in Nigeria needs more government intervention.
According to him, today, 48 million Nigerians practice open defecation, 18 million children inclusive; 95 million without access to basic sanitation services.
“Also, 70 percent of schools are without access to basic sanitation services (~91,000 schools); 88 per cent of health facilities do not have access to basic sanitation (~27,600 health facilities).”
He decried that 80 percent of markets and motor parks are without access to basic sanitation.
He blamed insufficient funds for continued Open Defecation, ODF, in Nigeria.
“Only 17 percent (134 out of 774) local government areas has achieved ODF, with nine percent of successes in UNICEF-supported states.
“Federal commitment declined since 2023, resulting in stalled ODF initiatives, ” he said.
He noted that the annual funding needed for ODF was approximately N168.75 billion, adding that only N15 billion was invested from 2018 to 2022.
In the same vein, A Wash Specialist in UNICEF, Enugu Office, Mrs Rebecca Gabriel, said it is possible for all states in Nigeria to achieve ODF before 2030.
She called on governments to provide more funds for the eradication of ODF.
“Toilets should be built in schools and other public places to reduce ODF.
“Everyone must be involved including government and public spirited individuals; so we can achieve zero ODF in every state,”she said. (NAN)
