AS Nigeria ushers in 2025, the target to eliminate open defecation nationwide is still far from reality, with over 48 million Nigerians still lacking access to proper sanitation, according to WASHNORM 2021 report.
The 2021 WASHNORM report, which was published in 2022 by the Ministry of Water Resources and remains the latest data on the nation’s WASH, revealed that a quarter of Nigerians still lack access to proper sanitation facilities, and only 10 per cent of the population have access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
The situation remained largely unchanged as the 2025 deadline approaches.
Experts, who spoke to The ICIR, expressed deep concern over the situation, citing systemic failures, insufficient funding, and weak implementation of policies as key reasons for the shortfall.
In 2018, Nigeria declared a state of emergency in the WASH sector and launched the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign with the goal of eliminating open defecation by 2025. However, nearly all the states are still in battle with sanitation and hygiene and open defecation, with only Jigawa ‘controversially’ free of open defecation.
The devastating cholera outbreak in 2024, which ravaged many communities across the country and with a sharp increase from the previous year, was also a result of the failure to eliminate open defecation.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) attributed the outbreak to contaminated water sources exacerbated by widespread open defecation. Conflict, climate change, underdevelopment, and population displacement among others were said to have contributed to the rise in cholera outbreaks.
Cholera outbreak in 2024
Cholera, an endemic disease, is still one of the major diseases that affect Nigerians, particularly in the rural region of the country. The disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is an acute diarrhoea infection characterised, in its severe form, by extreme watery diarrhoea and potentially fatal dehydration.
The latest data from the NCDC shows that between January to September 29, Nigeria faced a worsening cholera outbreak, with 10,837 suspected cases and 359 deaths.
The figure represented a significant 220 per cent increase in suspected cases and a 239 per cent rise in deaths compared to the same period in 2023.
The outbreak affected all 36 states, with Lagos accounting for the highest number of suspected cases (4,667), representing 43 per cent of the national total.
Other states with high case counts include, Jigawa (870), Kano (809), and Borno (588).
Vulnerable groups, particularly children under five and those aged 5–14, were disproportionately affected. The data showed that the Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) stood at 3.3 per cent, an increase from 3.1 per cent in 2023.
The most significant spikes occurred in June, August, and September, correlating with the rainy season, which exacerbates waterborne disease transmission due to flooding and poor sanitation.
The NCDC attributed the spike to multiple factors, including flooding in several states, increased population density in urban centres, and the slow implementation of preventative measures.
WASHNORM
The nationwide Clean Nigeria: Use The Toilet campaign was launched alongside the creation of a National Roadmap aimed at achieving an open-defecation-free (ODF) Nigeria by 2025. A year later, the roadmap estimated that 50 million Nigerians, or 10 million households, practiced open defecation.
However, little progress has been made since then. The ICIR reported that approximately 48 million Nigerians still engage in open defecation, with only 8 per cent practicing clean handwashing, according to the 2021 WASHNORM report.
According to a report, with data from the WASHNORM 2021 survey sampling over 24,600 households across the country, only 10 per cent of Nigeria’s population had access to integrated basic WASH services.
The 48 million Nigerians practicing open defecation represents 23 per cent of the population.
WASHNORM survey showed that 46 per cent of the population was found to have access to basic sanitation services in 2021 compared to 44 per cent in 2019, representing a 2 per cent (6.9 million people) increase in the number of persons accessing basic sanitation services.
Despite the increase in the number of people with access to basic sanitation services, the proportion of people practising open defecation in the country has barely changed since 2019, with the number increasing from 46 million in 2019 to 48 million in 2021.
Also, approximately 179 million Nigerians, which accounts for up to 87 per cent of the population, lack access to safely managed drinking water services.
The situation is particularly dire in the North, where access remains insufficient, with the Northeast having the lowest access rate at just 2 per cent. In contrast, the Southwest region has the highest access rate at 29 per cent.
The predominant sources of drinking water were boreholes/tube wells, utilised by approximately 37 per cent of the households while 11 per cent of the population use pipe-borne water and just 4 per cent use water from a source that is piped into their premise.
Likewise, about a quarter of the population (25 per cent) still depend on unimproved and surface water supply for their daily water needs.
Experts weigh in
Bolaji Adeoye, a public health expert speaking with The ICIR, lamented the setback, stating that the government has not put much effort towards ending open defecation in the country.
“Missing this goal highlights the lack of coordinated efforts and political commitment needed to tackle this public health crisis.”
According to him, the Nigerian government has failed to provide adequate facilities, orientation and sensitisation to curb the menace of open defecation in the country.
He warned that the consequences of this failure could be dire as he noted that the many Nigerians still drink unsafe water while also battling with flooding incident every year.
“Open defecation fuels the spread of diseases like cholera, which we saw escalate last year. The inability to meet this target shows a deeper problem, with our approach to sanitation and hygiene remains fragmented and underfunded.”
The Head of Advocacy Policy and Communication, WaterAid Nigeria, Kolawole Banwo, speaking on Classic FM on the government ending open defecation by 2025, said that the Nigerian government has always prioritised spending on cure rather than prevention.
While highlighting the importance of safe water usage, he noted that about 50 per cent of diseases can be saved by proper hygiene and sanitation.
Banwo said the government would be investing less in medication if it provided proper WASH facilities to Nigerians.
“Science shows medically, and this is empirical, that you can prevent 50 percent of diseases by just having access to washing your hands regularly under running water with soap at critical times, before you eat after you use the toilets, when you touch surfaces and all. You can prevent 50 per cent of diseases. Especially upper respiratory diseases, diarrhoea, and so many others. That means that the cost of curing 50 per cent of diseases can then be saved with hygiene.”
He stressed that the government at each level is not doing enough in budget implementation, noting that the government has not demonstrated enough to achieving the goal.
“There are schools, institutions, public places and there are residences where people and households don’t have access to toilet facilities. All of these must have access to decent toilets because toilets must be decent and well maintained.”
He also stressed policies and programs often failed to reach rural areas, where open defecation is most prevalent, adding that many communities lacked an understanding of the health risks associated with open defecation, hampering behaviour change.
“Government is not investing. Communities are grappling with basic things and cannot see the linkage between these things and their health because we have not done sufficient sensitisation and so these toilets are falling behind. Resources are falling behind. So, the ODF progress is falling behind and lagging.”
Speaking on possible solutions, Banwo noted that the government at all levels, communities, and non-governmental organisations must collaborate and work together to stop the menace of open defecation in the country.
“It is important that we all put our heads together and be more serious. The government needs to contribute and bring more resources.Then all others should be involved. Everything must be in place. The infrastructure must be right. There must be access to water in the first place to either flush or to wash your hands,” he said.
He, however, recommended improved funding and public awareness and sensitisation, access to WASH facilities by Nigerians, state ownership, and preparedness.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M