The Federal Government says Nigeria, which presently ranks number one in Africa with people practicing open defecation, is on the brink of becoming the number one globally.

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, disclosed this while declaring open a two-day Private Sector Forum on Sanitation, on Monday in Abuja.

The forum was organised by Organised Private Sector on Sanitation with the theme: “Coordinating Indigenous Private Sector Initiatives to End Open Defecation in Nigeria”.

Recall that on October 2, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India as Open Defecation Free after years of ranking as the world number one with the highest number of people practising open defecation in the world.

According to Adamu, Nigeria currently ranks at number one, in terms of the number of people practicing open defecation in Africa.

“Moreover, we are on the brink of being ranked first globally, as approximately 47 million people do not have access to sanitation services in its most basic form.

“Understandably, this is a serious concern to all of us as it has immense economic consequences and also hinders the social development of the country,” he said.

He said that the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) six is aimed at ensuring the availability of WASH services as well as the sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.

He said that the SDGs, Target 6.2 also focused on achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and to end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.

Adamu said that although the SDGs have stipulated these targets, they have also highlighted some hurdles that would require collaborative efforts to overcome them “which is our concern for the course of this workshop’’.

“Besides the exposure to diseases, there is a lack of dignity that is inherent in open defecation practices, particularly with regard to women and girls. As such, there is also a gender inequality issue which must be addressed with urgency.

“If effective solutions are not found, the non availability of sanitation facilities inadvertently further exposes women and girls to violence including rape, when they are forced to go out at night to defecate in the open.

“Again, I will emphasise that this problem has many layers in terms of the vast consequences.

“As part of the efforts to address this issue with particular reference to ending open defecation, a National Roadmap towards making Nigeria Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2025 was developed and launched in 2016.

“However, only minimal progress has been achieved in the implementation of the Roadmap with only 14 LGAs across the country so far being certified as open defecation free, according to the National ODF Protocol.

“However, it is comforting to note the positive efforts being made by my ministry in the WASH sector toward improving the living standards of our people both in the rural and urban areas.

“Access to Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene are part of the indices for socio-economic development of any nation and thus cannot be ignored,” Adamu said.

The minister, however, said that the role of the private sector in the revitalisation of the WASH sector would not be overlooked as the engine for economic growth and key players to creating innovative structures that pertain to the financing of WASH services.

READ ALSO: 200 inmates escape as flood destroys Kogi correctional centre

He said the essence of the forum was to identify areas of private sector involvement and collaboration on issues of (WASH), and ultimately come up with innovative solutions on how the pressing challenges would be effectively addressed.

The National Coordinator, Society for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (NEWSAN), Benson Attah, said it was committed to supporting the Federal Government, private sector and other partners in addressing the issues of WASH in the country.

“We want to call on all partners to ensure that we avoid those issues that will not keep us on track and let us also access the challenges and come up with strategies that will enable us achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2025,” he said.

 

NAN