News
‘Nigeria Loses N455bn To Poor Sanitation’
WaterAid, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), says Nigeria loses N455 billion of its GDP to poor sanitation annually, with other stakeholders, including a top government official and a health expert, concurring.
The organisation’s Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Michael Ojo disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
“Not having access to clean water and good hygiene for us as a country, is costing us N455 billion every year from our Gross Domestic Product; so water and sanitation work for our economy.
“Good sanitation promotes health because if people don’t have access to clean water and use contaminated water, they get sick.
“It costs us a lot of money as a country to treat illnesses that we could prevent if we invest in the right facility,” Ojo said.
He also noted that good water and sanitation facilities would promote education because it is detrimental to any child’s future to use school hours in search of water.
Reacting on the economic impact of poor sanitation on the country, the Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources,Dr Obioha Agada confirmed that the Federal Government lost “huge’’ amount of money due to poor sanitation culture.
Agada said: “A recent report had shown that inadequate water and poor sanitation costs the Nigerian economy N444 billion naira yearly.
“Poor sanitation not only contributes to environmental degradation, but also contributes significantly to the pollution of water; destroys fishes and the business of fishermen and adds to the cost of safe water.
“We are not relenting on our part to ensure a sustainable environment because presently the reports we get in the field show that the percentage of people with improved sanitation is increasing by the day,’’ he said.
He further said that national and state Task Groups on Sanitation were doubling efforts to improve sanitation at the grassroots.
On her part, the Executive Director, Women Environment Programme (WEP), Mrs Priscilla Achakpa, urged the Federal Government to properly capture sanitation in the constitution to boost development.
“It is rather unfortunate that the issue of sanitation has not been on the front burner of the Nigerian government both in terms of policy and programming until recently.
“Government should adequately capture sanitation in the federal constitution in order to improve the country’s development.
She advocated for waste management strategies that could would accrue economic benefits for the country and increase the country’s GDP per capita.
According to her, these strategies would enhance the capacity of Nigerians, thereby reducing poverty, and providing good sustenance of livelihoods for sustainable development.
“It is an understatement to state that Nigeria is losing such a huge economic benefit from the development and management of sanitation and waste.’’
“Solid and liquid waste can be used to create wealth and job opportunities for the thousands of unemployed Nigerian youths.
“It will reduce environmental and health hazards, especially in urban and rural communities and generate economic activities such as biomass, electricity through waste as it’s being done in other countries like India,” she said.
Echoing similar views, Nigeria’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Ambassador, Ms Ebele Okeke argued that if sanitation issues were tackled properly, the country would have a healthy workforce which would in turn ensure speedy development of all sectors.
Okeke emphasised the need for proper hygiene measures, through the construction of toilets and water points in schools and public places.
According to her, investing in sanitation could yield more than a 100 per cent profit.
In separate interviews with newsmen, residents of Karu, Nyanya and Garki said that indiscriminate disposal of waste in neighbourhoods due to the lack of dump sites, exposed them to all manner of health challenges.
When approached on the issue, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board said that the misuse of bins and poor hygiene attitude of residents were responsible for poor sanitation in the FCT.
Head, Information and Outreach Programme of the board, Mr Joseph Ukairo, noted that the board replaced the monthly sanitation with house -to- house inspection in order to check the trend.
He recalled that in the 1970s when sanitary inspectors conducted house-to-house’ inspections, various diseases noticeable today were not rampant.
He, therefore, cautioned residents to dispose their refuse properly and imbibe hygiene culture, especially in satellite towns, to reduce funds spent on waste management.
Also speaking, a health officer with the FCT Primary Health Care Development Board (PHCDB), Mrs Aisha Bakpet proposed the “Community-Led Total Sanitation” approach to communities that still practised open defecation.
She urged them to construct latrines in order to reduce diseases to help save money for their communities and the country at large.
In the same vein, a medical practitioner at the Nyanya General Hospital, Dr Chika Agu, said that poor sanitation and water services slowed health improvements in the country.
“ Hundreds of patients flood the hospitals daily for malaria, typhoid, and dysentery treatment because of poor sanitary conditions at home and in the workplace.
According to a 2010 data obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics on sanitation, only 9.4 per cent of the country’s waste were satisfactorily disposed, while 90.6 per cent of refuse were haphazardly disposed .
The bureau also recorded 42.5 per cent of safe water for drinking and cooking 57.5 per cent unsafe in the same year with only 58.3 per cent households having access to water.
The United States Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos will be closed today, in observance of Presidents’ Day.
The mission made this known in a notice shared on its official X page, yesterday.
“The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Monday, February 16, 2026, in observance of Presidents’ Day,” the post read.
According to the embassy, Presidents’ Day was originally established to honour the birthday of the former US President, George Washington, but has evolved into a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents and their leadership in shaping the country’s history.
The embassy noted that the holiday also recognises the influence of U.S. presidents on global affairs.
In a related message, the mission highlighted that Washington created the first “Badge of Military Merit,” which later became the Purple Heart. The medal still bears Washington’s image today.
Presidents’ Day is observed on the third Monday of February annually in the United States as a federal holiday.
News
Guterres Backs Nigeria’s Bid For UN Security Council Seat …Hails Tinubu’s Reforms, Regional Security Role
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has charged Nigeria with spearheading Africa’s quest for a restructured global order, describing the country as uniquely positioned to lead the continent toward superpower status.
Guterres, who backed Nigeria’s bid for the world body’s security council seat, also praised the economic reforms of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration as well as Nigeria’s leadership in stabilising the Sahel and ECOWAS regions, despite facing its own security challenges.
The UN scribe made the remarks last Friday night during a high-level bilateral meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Speaking during the meeting, Guterres said Nigeria’s large population, sustained democratic governance, vast natural and human resources, and longstanding commitment to multilateralism placed it in a unique position to lead Africa in the evolving global order.
“Given Nigeria’s demographic strength, democratic continuity and deep resource base, the country stands a real chance of leading Africa to becoming the next superpower in the evolving global architecture,” he said.
The UN Secretary-General and the vice president discussed key developments in Nigeria and the country’s expanding leadership role in promoting regional stability across West Africa and the Sahel.
Guterres commended the remarkable and outstanding reforms of the administration of President Tinubu, noting that Nigeria’s bold economic restructuring and security commitments have strengthened its continental standing.
The meeting focused on strengthening Nigeria–UN collaboration to advance global economic growth, peace and security, sustainable development, and a coordinated humanitarian response across Africa.
In his remarks, Shettima thanked the UN Secretary-General for his leadership in advancing global peace, noting that Africa has benefited immensely from his tenure, even as the United Nations undergoes internal restructuring.
“We remain committed to multilateralism and to deepening our partnerships with the United Nations and other global institutions,” the vice president said.
Shettima also reiterated Nigeria’s longstanding call for comprehensive reform of the United Nations system to reflect evolving global realities.
He emphasised that Africa must have stronger representation in global decision-making structures and declared that Nigeria deserves a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Both leaders pledged to deepen cooperation, with Guterres reaffirming the UN’s support for Nigeria’s reform agenda and its growing leadership role in advancing peace, security, and development across Africa.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has convicted and sentenced four persons to death by hanging over the gruesome killing of the former Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada East Police Division, SP Bako Angbashim.
The presiding Judge, Justice Sika Aprioku, in a landmark judgment, last Thursday, found the quartet guilty of conspiracy, murder, membership of a secret cult group and robbery, saying the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Those sentenced to death by hanging are Robinson Sonabari, identified as a native doctor; Bright Okparawo; Precious Amaeze, popularly known as Selina; and Loveday Jack, also known as Ragged Excess. The court ordered that they be hanged by the neck until they are confirmed dead.
Justice Aprioku also convicted the sixth defendant, Samuel Nwadinma, and sentenced him to three years imprisonment for conspiracy.
The third accused person was, however, discharged and acquitted of the four-count charge.
In the same vein, the court discharged Famous Okechukwu, Samuel Uchendu, Oyekachi Ikonwa, Godbless Nnamdi and Marshall Daniel, who were earlier found guilty of membership of a secret cult group, on the grounds that they had already served the maximum terms prescribed by law in the correctional facility.
The court held that among those convicted was the native doctor who allegedly prepared the charm used in the killing of the late DPO.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the judgment, the lead prosecution counsel from the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, Chigozie Amadi, alongside a representative of the police legal team, Celestine Dickson, commended the judiciary for ensuring that justice was served.
Dickson, who represented the Nigeria Police Force in the joint prosecution, expressed concern that officers saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property had increasingly become targets of criminal elements.
He, however, expressed optimism that the judgment would serve as a strong deterrent to would-be offenders.
Also reacting, the elder brother of the late DPO, Akasco Angbashim, who travelled from Nasarawa State to witness the judgment, said the verdict had healed a long-standing wound inflicted on the family since the brutal murder of their brother.
He commended the judiciary, the Rivers State Government and the police for their commitment to justice, stressing that the judgment sends a clear message that no individual has the right to unlawfully take another person’s life.
The four convicts were among 72 persons initially arraigned before the State High Court by a joint prosecution team comprising the Department of Public Prosecutions and the Rivers State Police Command over the murder.
During the trial, 61 accused persons, including the Eze Ekpeye Logbo, Eze Kelvin Anugwo, and a former Ahoada East Council Chairman, Cassidy Ikegbidi, were discharged and acquitted for lack of evidence, leaving 13 defendants to face judgment.
SP Angbashim was gruesomely murdered on September 8, 2023, during a police operation in Odemude community, Ahoada East Local Government Area.
His killing sparked tension in the area, prompting a joint security operation that led to the death of the suspected cult leader, David Okparanwo, popularly known as 2Baba.
By: King Onunwor
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