Environment

Nigeria Loses N455bn Annually To Poor Sanitation – Unicef

Published

7 years ago

September 24, 2018

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said that Nigeria is losing N455 billion annually to poor sanitation and open defecation.
The Chief of Water Sanitation and Health (WASH) United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Mr. Zaid Jurji said this at a two-day media dialogue on Water Sanitation and hygiene (WASH) organised by the Child Rights Bureau, Federal Ministry of Information in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in Port Harcourt.
Jurji: who spoke on a “Sustainability of WASH Programme and Ending Open Defecation in Nigeria” also said that, 122,000 Nigerians including 87,000 children under the age of five also die each year due to poor sanitation.
He listed the cost of open defecation and poor sanitation to include increased death rate as a result of the prevalence of cholera, dysentery and malnutrition.
Other causes according to him, are, reduction in school attendance, loss of dignity, privacy and security as well as stunted growth especially in children.
The WASH specialist further blamed the low awareness on the dangers of open defecation in the country on weak institutions, low political commitment and low private sector participations including non-governmental organisations community-based organisations (CBOs) and lack of appropriate technology.
He also said that for Nigeria to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of improving sanitation and ending open defecation by 2025, more funds must be injected to raise the level of awareness.
Meanwhile, a WASH specialist in UNICEF, Mr. Michael Forson, has blamed the challenge of poor sanitation in the Niger Delta on poor sector coordination.
Forson who spoke on the overview of the EU/UNICEF Niger Delta Support Programme at the event also blamed the situation on weak and nonexistence of monitoring and evaluation system, weak institutions, poor capacity building and inadequate provision for Local Governemnt Areas WASH departments.
He said that the intervention of the organisations through the Niger Delta Support Programme was to mitigate conflicts and address causes of unrest and violence in the region.
Forson stressed the need for WASH departments to be upgraded to full departments in the local government area amongst others.

Environment

Lagos State Government Refuted Resumed Monthly Sanitation

Published

7 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Lagos State Government on Saturday refuted an online media report claiming that the state had resumed the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said no categorical statement had been made regarding the commencement date of the exercise.

Wahab explained that what he told newsmen after a project inspection tour last Sunday was that engagements with relevant stakeholders were still ongoing.

He said the state government had planned to begin with a sensitisation programme last week, but was constrained by logistics issues.

“The truth is, we were meant to start with a sensitisation programme last week, but we had a logistics issue. We need to find a day that is acceptable to all stakeholders,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the exercise might return very soon, adding that the official date would be communicated by the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The commissioner urged law-abiding residents to continue their lawful activities without hindrance, assuring them that adequate notice would be given before the exercise was reintroduced.

The monthly environmental sanitation, previously held on the last Saturday of every month between 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the exercise.

However, renewed waste management challenges, including clogged drainage channels and indiscriminate refuse disposal, have sparked calls from residents for its reinstatement.

Environment

RIWAMA In Collaboration With Obio Akpo And Port Harcourt LGA Ban Dumping Of Refuse On Road Side

Published

7 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) in Collaboration with Obio Akpor Local Government Council and Port Harcourt City LGA had advised the public not to dump refuse on the road side.

In a statement signed by the Director of RIWAMA Dr Ibimina Wokoma, Mayor of Port Harcourt Sir Hon Allwell Ihunda and Obio Kpor local government Chairman Hon Dr, Gift Worlu made available to Tide news stated that dumping of refuse on road medians is banned in Obio Akpor LGA, Port Harcourt City LGA, and the entire metropolis.

The statement said all waste is to be properly bagged and taken to the nearest RIWAMA-approved receptacle only between the hours of 6pm and 10pm daily.

“The use of cart pushers for waste collection, evacuation, and disposal is highly prohibited across Obio Akpor LGA and Port Harcourt City Local Government. Corporate organizations are requested to engage only Private Service Providers licensed by RIWAMA, in line with extant laws.

“Scattering of refuse bags at the receptacles or roadside by scavengers, individuals, and organizations engaged in illegal sorting or segregation of waste or recycling business is hereby banned, except as authorized or licenced by RIWAMA at the final dumpsites.

“The Thursday sanitation exercise by shop owners will continue alongside business activities without closing or locking up shops.

The statement also said that , shop owners whose shop environment or surroundings are untidy will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.

This notice applies to all residents, businesses, and organizations in Rivers State. Let’s work together to restore our “Garden City” status.

By: Kiadum Edookor

Environment

Ministry Of Environment To Validate A Landmark Policy To Advance Nigeria’s Economy

Published

7 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Ministry of Environment last Thursday convened key stakeholders in Abuja to validate a landmark policy brief aimed at tackling marine litter to advance Nigeria’s transition to a circular economy.

Mrs Falmata Bukar-Kolo, the Deputy Director, Solid Waste Management and Technology Division in the ministry, warned that plastic pollution poses serious risks to aquatic ecosystems and public health.

She stated that microplastics have already entered the food chain through fish consumption, while clogged waterways, soil contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions from burning plastics are worsening the environmental crisis.

Bukar-Kolo said that plastics, though widely used, are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment for years.

She called for improved waste management systems, stronger enforcement of environmental regulations, and behavioural change amongst citizens and businesses.

Mr Clem Ugorji, Regional Coordinator of PROTEGO, emphasised on the urgency of action, saying Nigeria’s marine litter crisis carries environmental, economic, and reputational costs.

He expressed optimism that the 2025 to 2040 roadmap endorsed at the workshop would shift the country from prolonged dialogue to concrete implementation.

The event was organised in collaboration with PROTEGO (Prevention of Marine Litter in the Gulf of Guinea).

Discussions centred on a draft policy input paper titled “Policies, Institutional Set-up and Financing of Marine Litter Prevention in Nigeria,”.

These seeks to present insightful analysis and a set of recommendations to address the structural and financing gaps that have long hindered effective waste management, particularly plastic leakage from inland communities and waterways into the Atlantic Ocean.

The PROTEGO initiative is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and led by adelphi, with implementation in Nigeria by WASTE Africa and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC).

The policy brief is a key delivery for one of the programme’s four impact areas – building capacities of public stakeholders.