Nigeria Needs 11 Million Toilets To Check Open Defecation -UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said Nigeria urgently needs about 11 million toilets nationwide in order to tackle the issue of open defecation across the country.
Addressing the participants at a recent stakeholders meeting in Lagos, UNICEF’s Chief of WASH in Nigeria, Dr Jane Bevan said with an estimated 48 million people lacking access to toilets, Nigeria remains one of the world’s worst offenders for open defecation.
“The government alone cannot solve this problem. We need a multi-faceted approach that includes the private sector,” Bevan said.
She highlighted the potential for private businesses to invest in public toilets, particularly in urban areas like Lagos, and to support small businesses involved in sanitation services.
According to Bevan, while the government has made progress in reducing open defecation, more needed to done, pointing
out the example of Bauchi State, where UNICEF has been working with the government to provide revolving loans to sanitation businesses.
The Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Céline Lafourcade urged the private sector to play a more significant role in addressing Nigeria’s sanitation crisis, which affects an estimated 48 million people.
Highlighting the urgent need for investment and partnerships to improve sanitation infrastructure and promote behavioural change, she emphasised the critical importance of private sector involvement in achieving universal access to sanitation.
Speaking, the Director General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Olusola Obadimu, emphasised the importance of improving hygiene standards.
