- Prevalence highest in North Central, South West regions
Public health experts have expressed concerns over the alarming rate of open defecation practice by Nigerians.
They disclosed that many Nigerians are at risk of contracting diseases such as giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis which are caused by protozoan parasites that thrive in contaminated water.
These diseases, according to them, can lead to chronic diarrhea, malnutrition and long-term health complications.
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima had on the 2024 World Toilet Day launched the revised Clean Nigeria Campaign Strategic Plan to eradicate open defecation by 2030, with nearly 48 million Nigerians still practicing open defecation.
The CNC Strategic Plan aims to declare all 774 local government areas open defecation-free by the target.
The Federal Government had in 2019 expressed readiness to tackle open defecation, stating that with its launch of Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign backed by Executive Order 9, it is expected that Nigeria would attain Open Defecation Free by 2025.
Shettima had noted during the flag-off that, “Access to safe and clean toilets is not just about infrastructure, it is about dignity, health, and safety for all Nigerians. We are committed to ensuring that no one falls behind in our journey to end open defecation, as evidenced by this strategic plan. We urge all levels of government and partners to work collaboratively for this goal.”
Also recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 declared a State of Emergency in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector.
Sadly, however, despite these efforts, Nigeria has long surpassed India as the world’s leading nation in open defecation and governments have refused to construct public toilets.
With an estimated 48 million citizens or 23 per cent of the population still defecating openly, the alarming statistic underscores the urgent need for significant improvements in the nation’s sanitation infrastructure and public health awareness.
The use of toilets and washing hands with soap, according to public health experts, is key in keeping children, families and communities safe from disease outbreaks and good health.
However, in Nigeria, experts said open defecation remains a deeply ingrained practice.
From Lagos, Enugu, Rivers, Benue, Niger to Borno among other states except Jigawa, open defecation is widespread.
Despite the increase in the number of people with access to basic sanitation services, the proportion of people practicing open defecation has barely changed in the last five years with the number increasing from 46 million in 2019 to 48 million in 2021.
Findings have shown that going into the bush to defecate is a dangerous challenge as faeces left in the bushes, waterways and homes are major causes of disease outbreaks such as cholera, and diarrhea.
Apart from the fact that these practices expose children and family members to poor sanitation and hygiene related illnesses, Nigeria’s target to end open defecation by 2025 may remain a mirage following the report of the 2021, WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping on Nigeria’s sanitation status.
The WASH report also revealed that about 1.3 per cent of GDP or N455 billion is lost annually due to poor access to sanitation, healthcare savings and productivity. These and other facts from the WASHNORM, also disclosed that only nine per cent of households have access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
According to the report, the North Central region emerges as the area with the highest prevalence of open defecation, followed by the South-West. While 44 per cent of households utilise basic sanitation services, the overall access to WASH services remains alarmingly low.
The prevalence of open defecation cuts across rural and urban areas, posing serious health risks, contributing to the spread of water-borne diseases and other illnesses.
A Professor of Public Health Parasitology, Oliver Odikamnoro, of Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, has called for an end to open defecation in all states in Nigeria for improved public health.
The varsity don made the call while delivering the 28th Inaugural Lecture of the institution with the theme “Parasites and Human Health: Understanding the Enigma.”
Odikamnoro regretted that many states in Nigeria are still lacking sufficient public toilets.
Specifically, he said communities in Ebonyi State practice open defecation with recklessness, hence, constant outbreak of cholera among other diseases in the state.
He encouraged residents to improve body and environmental hygiene to check parasitic diseases for better public health and to boost the economy of the state.
Odikamnoro, who specialises in Public Health Parasitology, urged the three tiers of government in the country to provide toilet facilities in public places, like the markets, parks, schools among others to check the ugly trend.
He noted that open defecation contributes to the spread of parasitic worms (helminths), as human faeces contain eggs or larvae of parasites.
Decrying the way residents practice open defecation, the don stated that more than 75 percent of Ebonyi people practice such acts.
He called for urgent improvement in human access to clean drinking water to reduce the risk of other waterborne parasitic diseases.
According to him, “Poor sanitation contributes to a wide range of health problems, including the transmission of parasitic diseases, which thrive in environments where human waste is improperly managed.
“Such diseases include giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis which are caused by protozoan parasites that thrive in contaminated water. These can lead to chronic diarrhea, malnutrition and long-term health complications. Hookworm infections are particularly prevalent in the areas where open defecation is widespread, as the larvae of hookworm thrive in contaminated soil.
“Individuals who walk barefoot in such environments are at risk of infections as the worm larvae penetrate the skin and migrate to the intestines, where they cause anemia and other health problems. People should know that they are responsible for what is affecting them in their environment. We must support health education and improve environmental hygiene, especially in the food, water that we consume.
“I saw plenty of cases of open defecation in Ebonyi State when we worked for Jimmy Carter Center in what they called Rap lower studies. I was able to visit 56 rural communities in the state without decent toilet facilities. They defecate in the open. Sanitation is very poor, school children defecate on their way to school, and there is no water.
“Like Ogohoro in Afikpo, it is an institutionalised open defecation system you will find in Afikpo. If you go to some houses at Kpirikpiri or Azugwu unplanned settlements in the state, people don’t make use of decent toilets. Some landlords don’t make provision for decent toilets. Instead of waiting for the usual long toilet line in the compounds, they just defecate in nylon bags, tie the faeces, used pampers and fling it out on their way to work.
“Regrettably, Ebonyi came first. 75 percent of Ebonyians don’t have decent toilets. Plateau State came second with 56 percent, Kogi 3rd and Kwara 4th in open defecation in the statistics. All landlords both in the cities and rural communities should be compelled to provide decent toilet facilities for the residents. Governments should provide decent toilets in the markets, parks, hospitals, schools, offices as well as adequate water supply there to stop open defecation in Nigeria.”
In the view of the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, with over 48 million Nigerians still defecating in the open, adding that progress made in the sector is not yet enough.
She said Lagos and other states in Nigeria could end open defecation if enough investment and commitment were made to the water and sanitation sector.
Munduate lamented that the practice of open defecation continued to pose a grave public health threat in Nigeria, undermining progress in nutrition, sanitation and economic development.