The United Nations Children Fund on
Wednesday raised the alarm that poor hygiene and entrenched culture of
open defecation among millions around the world would continue to put
children and their communities at risk.
The situation had reached a worst dimension in Nigeria where about 119 million people were not using safe toilets.
The agency’s Communications Specialist
(Media and External Relations), Mr. Geoffrey Njoku, said this in a
statement issued in Abuja in commemoration of this year’s World Toilet
Day.
He said, “Some 2.5 billion people
worldwide do not have adequate toilets and among them one billion
defecate in the open. Here in Nigeria, about 119 million people are not
using safe toilets while 50 million out of this number defecate in the
open.
“Nigeria is among the top five countries
in the world with high population practising open defecation and the
number of open defecators has been on increase since 1990. Lack of a
safe, clean toilet and practice of open defecation seriously impact
people’s health, wellbeing and dignity as well as efforts towards
poverty reduction, economic and social development and the environment.”
According to UNICEF, there has been an
upsurge in cholera cases in Nigeria which is primarily due to poor
sanitation and hygiene practices in the country.
Quoting the recent epidemiology report
from the Federal Ministry of Health, the agency said 34,825 cases of
cholera was reported as against 2,882 cases over the same period in
2013.
Every year over 150,000 Nigerian
children die from diarrohea alone, largely caused by unsafe water,
sanitation and hygiene practices.
Njoku said, “The call to end the
practice of open defecation is being made with growing insistence from
the United Nations which is being led by the office of the Deputy
Secretary General, encouraging countries to prioritise investments in
sanitation and develop appropriate interventions to end this menace.
“In response to this call, the Nigerian
government has shown commitment to end open defecation by 2025, a target
which is not only commendable but achievable, considering Nigeria’s
potential. A country that has 75 per cent of its households having
mobile phones can easily mobilise the people to have simple toilets and
end open defecation.
“Towards achieving the set target,
UNICEF Nigeria is supporting the government to develop a national
roadmap for the elimination of open defecation in the country by 2025.”
Also, the General Manager, DMT Mobile
and Portable Toilets Limited, Isheri Olofin, Ogun State, Mr. Lanre
Akinwale, on Wednesday said about 75 per cent of Nigerians lacked access
to decent and functional toilets facilities.
He spoke at the company’s second
awareness campaign to mark the 2014 World Toilet Day at Isheri Olofin,
Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State.
He said awareness about decent and
functional toilets had increased over the years but that attitude was
still a challenge to achieving reasonable success.
Akinwale said a toilet must have water, toiletries, hand sanitiser and driers before it could be considered as a functional one.
He lamented what he described as poor sanitary condition in both public and private schools in different parts of the country.
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