The Federal Government says Nigeria now ranks number one in the world with people practicing open defecation.
The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, disclosed this while declaring open a two-day Private Sector Forum on Sanitation, on Monday in Abuja.
The forum was organised by Organised Private Sector on Sanitation with the theme, ‘Coordinating Indigenous Private Sector Initiatives to End Open Defecation in Nigeria.’
On October 2, India stopped being the world number one country with the highest number of people practising open defecation in the world.
According to Adamu, Nigeria currently ranks number one in terms of the number of people practicing open defecation in Africa.
“We are on the brink of being ranked first globally, as approximately 47 million people do not have access to sanitation services in its most basic form.
“Understandably, this is a serious concern to all of us, as it has immense economic consequences and also hinders the social development of the country,” he said.
He said that the Sustainable Development Goal six is aimed at ensuring availability of WASH services as well as the sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.
He said that the SDGs, Target 6.2 also focused on achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and to end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
Adamu said that although the SDGs have stipulated these targets, they have also highlighted some hurdles that would require collaborative efforts to overcome them “which is our concern for the course of this workshop’’.
“Besides the exposure to diseases, there is a lack of dignity that is inherent in open defecation practices, particularly with regard to women and girls. As such, there is also a gender inequality issue which must be addressed with urgency.
The Punch
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