Nigeria Ranks Second In World ODF Index Report

A recent survey by the National Council Water Resources has ranked Nigeria second in terms of open defecation in the world.
This was contained in a newsletter publish and by the council a copy obtained by The Tide in Port Harcourt.
According to the report, Nigeria is the second in the world behind India in terms of having the highest number of people defeacating in the open but added that in Africa, the country is number one.
It also revealed that 110 million people in the country lack access to improved sanitation system.
Meanwhile, the council has set the year 2025 for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on sanitation through the eradication of open defecation as well as achieving universal access to safety managed sanitation by 2030.
It however stressed the need for both the federal and state governments to prioritise sanitation on their development agenda by mandating their relevant institutions to eradicate open defecation by 2025.
According to the council, achieving the goal will involve the training of adequate manpower to work on the goal, creation of budget lines in the National and State level institutions budget document, as well as the allocation of adequate financial resources for the implementation of the National and State levels of open defecation campaigns in timely fashion.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of the Rivers State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) Mr. Napokeon Adah says, achieving Open Defecation free (ODF) target in Nigeria requires intense sensitization of the masses.
Mr Adah who said this in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, said that sensitization programme must be carried out in the various communities across the country.
“Adequate sensitization should be carried out in our various communities to discourage open defecations.
“People should be encouraged to build toilets in their various homes”.
He also stressed the need for the government to work with development partners with a view to designing modern sanitization facilities.
Adah stressed the need for toilets to be constructed in public places to help in reducing open defecation in the country.

John Bibor