Open defecation: Nigeria leads in Africa, second in the world

The Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Suleiman N. Adamu yesterday said Nigeria remains second among the countries still practicing open defecation globally and first in Africa.

India which at present ranks first among the countries practicing open defecation world-wide is expected to be certified open defecation free by October this year, which will make Nigeria assume first globally.

The minister, who spoke in Abuja at a retreat on the elimination of open defecation in Nigeria, regretted that only 10 out of 774 local government areas in the country are certified Open Defecation Free (ODF), according to the national ODF Protocol. He said the situation was not good for the image of a country that prides herself as the giant of Africa.

“Besides the exposure to disease, lack of dignity and inconvenience experienced when practicing open defecation due to non-availability of sanitation facilities, women and girls especially, are exposed to violence including rape, when they have to go out at night to defecate in the open,” the minister said.

He said as part of the effort to address the ugly incident, a national roadmap towards making Nigeria Open Defecation Free by 2025 was developed and launched in 2016 but regretted that only minimal progress has been achieved in the implementation of the roadmap as only 10 out of 774 local government areas are said to be ODF.

The minister, who said state governments have vital roles to play in eliminating open defecation, said the ministry would embark on an aggressive campaign on behavioral changes against such practice.

Earlier, the permanent secretary in the ministry, Mrs Comfort C. Ekaro, said the retreat, being attended by key stakeholders in the water sector, was aimed at building a common understanding among stakeholders on the plan to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025.