47 million Nigerians still defecate openly, says UNICEF as FG plans to stop menace by 2025, Gombe partners UN on citizens’ welfare

 About 47 million Nigerians or 24.4 per cent of Nigeria’s population still defecate openly, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.

Nigeria, it added, ranked second on the world behind India among those still practising open defecation.

Making the declaration at a two-day Media Dialogue on Sanitation in Ibadan, Oyo State, UNICEF water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) expert, Bioye Ogunjobi, added that 11 per cent of children suffered diarrhoea in the past six months, 76 per cent of them under five years.

According to him, the Northcentral has the highest number with 16 million people representing 53.9 of the zones population still engaging in the act; the Southwest follows with 28 per cent.

Ogunjobi said the figures were arrived at through WASH Lump Survey by the federal government, with support from UNICEF.

“It not the responsibility of government or UNICEF alone to end the practice; everyone has a role to play,” he added.

He revealed that UNICEF assisted six of the 13 councils in the country that are free from open defecation.

In a related development, the federal government and UNICEF have restated commitment to end open defecation by 2025 and achieve universal access to safely manage sanitation by 2030.

Speaking in Ibadan at a Media Dialogue on Sanitation tagged ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’, Deputy Director, Head, Child Right Information Bureau, Federal Ministry Of Information And Culture, Olumide Osanyinpeju, said UNICEF had been at the forefront of ensuring that we have access to safe drinking water supply, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene in our environment and communities.

Osanyinpeju noted that the government recently declared a state of emergency on WASH and launched an Open Defecation Free (ODF) campaign strategy to jump-start the country’s journey towards ending open defecation.

Meanwhile, Gombe State Deputy Governor Dr Manasseh Jatau has said the administration led by Muhammad Yahaya would ensure prompt payment of the counterpart fund to facilitate the state’s speedy development.

Dr Jatau, who represented the governor, said this during the 2019 midyear review meeting for UNICEF, Bauchi Field Office, supported by Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa, Jigawa and Plateau states in Gombe.

He said the state government was aware of UNICEF’s development initiatives and was enthusiastic to continue in the partnership, adding that the administration was waiting eagerly for the outcome of the meeting.

The dire condition of Gombe people calls for concerted efforts to strengthen and create more avenues of improving the livelihood of the people through a strategic partnership with relevant stakeholders.

According to UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Bauchi, Mr Bhanu Pathak, it is not enough to get the girls into school, but also important to ensure that they are safe, learn and complete all levels of education to live a quality life.