The federal government has said about 47 million Nigerians are still practising open defecation, using the bush and water bodies as their regular means for excreta disposal. Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar stated this in Abuja yesterday while addressing newsmen on the 2020 World Toilet Day (WDT) with the theme, “Sustainable Sanitation and Climate Change”.
He noted that one of the major consequences of poor excreta disposal is the high rate of diarrhoea, which is the second cause of high rate of morbidity and mortality among children under the age of five. The minister stated that the federal government is committed to addressing the sanitation challenges including ending open defecation and proper management of excreta, as demonstrated by Mr President’s declaration of State of Emergency on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as well as signing the Executive Order no 009 2019 on Open Defecation Free (ODF) Nigeria by 2025.
