OPEN DEFECATION: Nigeria leads Africa, trails India

With 47 million persons defecating in the open, Nigeria  the worst open defecation country in Africa and second in the world after India.

The 2018 WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping, (WASH NORM) Survey, says 75 million Nigerians use unimproved toilets while only 1 in 4 Nigerians have access to basic toilets.

The survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, also reveals that Nigeria loses N455 billion ($ 1.3 billion) annually due to poor sanitation.

Five other African countries rank among the worst 10 where open defecation is prevalent. They include Ethiopia (3rd), Niger (7th), Sudan (8th), Chad (9th) and Mozambique (10th). Other countries in the worst 10 are Indonesia (4th), Pakistan (5th), and China (6th).

Further,  the survey revealed that 90 percent of the 122, 000 Nigerians, including 87,000 children ged under 5, who die each year from diarrhoea, is directly attributable to lack of Water and Sanitation and Hygiene.

Remarking on the report, UNICEF’s Chief of Water Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, Zaid Jurji, said Nigeria's losses constitute 1 percent of her GDP.

"Open defecation costs Nigeria over US$ 1 billion a year (the GDP of Gambia)", Jurji noted.

Nigeria has remained on the list of top five open defecation countries in the world for 15 years, moving from 5th in 2003 to 2nd in 2015.

The UNICEF chief said Nigeria could achieve economic gains up to N359.1 billion (US$ 1.026 billion) annually from the N455 billion it loses due to lack of sanitation.

In 2012, the World Health Organisation, WHO and UNICEF  reported that Nigeria was among 10 countries that accounted for almost three-quarters of the people who practice open defecation. From the report, India ranks 1st with 626 million, Indonesia 63 million, Pakistan 40 million, Ethiopia 38 million, Nigeria 34 million, Sudan 19 million, Nepal 15 million, China 14 million, Niger -12 million, Burkina Faso -9.7 million, Mozambique  9.5 million and Cambodia 8.6 million.

There is the need for the country to prioritize sanitation on the federal and state government agenda and declare a state of emergency in the sector.

However, the former Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, had warned that if India was able to exit from its number one position in the list of countries with poor sanitation and open defecation by the middle of 2019, it would be a "national shame" for Nigeria not to.

"Three years ago, only 40 percent of Indians were using toilets but now, 95 percent of Indians are practicing full sanitation practices.