50m Nigerians don’t have access to toilets –UNICEF

A disturbing report by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF reveals that more than 50 million Nigerian’s resort to open defecation because they do not have access to toilets.

The latest revelation by the world body now ranks Nigeria among five countries in the world with the greatest rates of open defecation.

Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, UNICEF ‘A Field Office’ Communication Officer (Advocacy, Media and External Relations) stated this in a report titled, ‘Improving Nutrition Outcomes with Better Water, Sanitation and Hygiene’, yesterday on behalf of Sanjay Wijesekera, head of UNICEF’s global water, sanitation and hygiene programmes, to coincide with World Toilet Day.

Her report pointed out the emerging evidence of links between inadequate sanitation and malnutrition among children.

After receiving the report, Wijesekera said where rates of toilet use are low; rates of diarrhoea tend to be high.

Read also: UNICEF laments 10.5m out of school children in Nigeria

“Nigeria loses over 150,000 children to diarrhea annually. After pneumonia, it is the biggest killer of Nigeria’s under-fives; 88 per cent of diarrhoea cases in Nigeria are attributed to unsafe water and sanitation. Where rates of toilet use are low, rates of diarrhoea tend to be high.”

“Intestinal parasites such as roundworm, whipworm and hookworm are transmitted through contaminated soil in areas where open defecation is practiced. Hookworm is a major cause of anaemia in pregnant women, leading to malnourished, underweight babies.

“We need to bring concrete and innovative solutions to the problem of where people go to the toilet; otherwise we are failing millions of our poorest and most vulnerable children.” Wijesekera added.

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