A Specialist with UNICEF, Ogochukwu Adimorah disclosed on Monday that Only 102 of 774 LGAs have access to toilet facilities in Nigeria. Adimorah disclosed this at the first Toilet Business Owners Conference themed: Providing the Toilet Nigeria needs to end Open Defecation: The Role of TBOS holding at Bolton White Hotel, Abuja.
File photo: Man defecates in an open space (Photo source: Google) According to her, the number of people who defecate in the open space is high due to a lack of access to adequate toilet facilities. She also said 90 million Nigerians who have access need to improve their toilet sanitation, going to a recent study conducted on toilets and sanitation in Nigeria. Quoting the study, Adimorah said 60% of toilet owners in Nigeria need to evacuate their toilets, while 45% of the toilets are readily evacuated. She further disclosed that a total of N2.3 billion of sanitation expenses was spent by Nigerian households on toilet emptying in 2021. On the spread of the access, she said of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria, only 102 LGAs are open-defecation free, leaving 672 LGAs vulnerable to open-defecation. Earlier in her remarks, Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at UNICEF, Jane Bevan, said Nigeria’s current construction rate is 180,000 – 200,000 toilets annually, which she said is grossly insufficient to address the present challenge. Bevan, who described the conference as critical, said that Toilet Business Owners were vital to ending open defecation challenges in Nigeria. In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, Ms. Chidinma Okpara said open defecation is about awareness creation and building of toilets to close the huge gaps. According to her, Nigeria needs about 11 million toilet facilities to meet the MDG target on toilets and sanitation target by 2025. This implies that the nation needs at least 3.5 million toilets every year. She explained that her ministry had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with other sister ministries and other relevant organizations to draw more attention to sanitation. She said the MoU is expected to focus on sanitation and open business opportunities to SMSEs in the country country. The conference. Was organised by Federal ministry of Water Resources and ToiletPride Initiative, in collaboration with UNICEF and Lixil.
