Environment

Dangers Of Open Defecation

Published

7 years ago

August 19, 2019

The story was told of a man in Yakkur Local Government Area of Cross River State who was mistakenly shot dead by a hunter while defecating in a nearby forest.
The story was a reflection of the dangers, the society faces everyday from open defecation. It would be noted that by the first of October, 2019, India will exit its ranking as a nation with the largest number of persons practising open defecation.
The planned exist of India will create a void that will be filled by no less a nation than Nigeria.
Nigeria is currently second in ranking to India which occupies the number one spot in the world as far as open defeacation is concerned.
Critics say that the up- coming development will not only dent the image of the country abroad, but add to her misery index locally.
Statistics made available to newsmen at a recent National Media Dialogue on Sanitation organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Calabar, Cross River State, shows that Nigeria with a population of over 200 million people has a sizeable number of her citizens practising open defecation.
According to the report, one in three Nigerians has no access to basic drinking water, while 47 million defecate in the open.
The report also shows that 33 million Nigerians use unimproved toilets, while on average, people living in rural areas have access to only 4 litres of water per capita each day.
It shows that only 34 per cent of schools and 12 per cent of hospitals have access to basic sanitation.
It would be noted that out of the 774 Local Government Areas in the country, only 13 have been certified Open Defecation Free (ODF).
Six of these, however are in Cross River State, while in Rivers State, Opobo/Nkoro and Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas which keyed into the programme are yet to attain the ODF status.
In Cross River State, the six local government areas are Obaniku, Yakkur and Ikom.
The rest are Bekwaru, Boki and Yalla Local Government Areas.
Sources further informed The Tide that the dangers associated with the situation were responsible for the current move by the government to end open defecation by 2025.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, recently launched the “Clean-Up Nigeria: Use The Toilet Campaign, with the mandate to mobilise Nigerians towards attaining the status of Open Defecation Free nation by 2025.
Information also revealed that the government has set aside N10 billion to kick start the campaign
Speaking at the National Media Dialogue on Sanitation: Clean-Up Nigeria: Use The Toilet Campaign in Calabar, the Head, Child Rights Information Bureau, Federal Ministry of Information, Abuja, Mr. Olumide Osanyipeju said that the government is determined to get 47 million Nigerians to use the toilets by 2025.
Osanyipeju however said that to achieve the target, there must be vigorous campaign for behavioural change among Nigerians.
According to him, the nation will be further embarrassed when a new ranking is done this year, and described the Clean-Up Nigeria: Use The Toilet Campaign as timely.
He listed the dangers of open defecation to include poor nutrition, and adverse health conditions; “open defecation is dangerous as it spreads Cholera, Typhoid and other diseases.
“There is need for awareness on impact of open defecation in Nigeria”, he said.
He said that the media dialogue was to create awareness on the Clean-Up Nigeria: Use The Toilet Campaign” with a view to changing people’s behaviour on sanitation and health.
A communication specalist at UNICEF, Geoffrey Njoku said that if nothing is done about it, the situation will further compound the misery index of the country.
Njoku said that it was against this background that UNICEF is working with relevant organisations to put sanitation on the front burner of national discourse.
He said that the National Media Dialogue on Sanitation with the theme: Clean-Up Nigeria: Use The Toilet in Calabar was the third in the series organised by UNICEF round the country.
He described as terrible, India exiting as the number one ranked nation in the world by October, adding that it is the responsibility of every Nigerian to ensure that the country moves away from where it is now to Open Defecation Free nation by 2025.
He however added that atitudinal change is needed to achieve it.
Speaking on the overview of “Clean-Up Nigeria: Use The Toilet Campaign and how communities become ODF, a Water Sanitation and Health (WASH) specialist at UNICEF, Bioye Ogunjobi said that time has come for critical minds across the country to be engaged with a view to solving the open defecation problem by 2025.
Ogunjobi said that, the tendency is for everyone to work towards checking open defecation in rural communities, adding that the campaign was to increase access to improve sanitation especially in the rural areas.
He said that the priorities are to eliminate open defecation by 2025, bring water sanitation and hygiene to disadvantaged communities in the rural areas, improving access to safe water and sanitation in schools and health care facilities as well as create awareness and promote sanitation and hygiene in society.
Also speaking, Dr Nicholas Igwe of Zenith Water Project Limited said that the private sector must play critical role in the attainment of ODF Nigeria by 2025.
Igwe, who spoke on the link between Rural and Urban Sanitation: What Can the Private Sector Do? said that the private sector must mobilise resources to build toilet facilities in all public places in the country.
The expert also called for decentralisation of sewage disposal system in the country.
Just as the experts have said, the risk associated with open defecation is common in our communities.
Stories have been told of deaths caused by snake bites as a result of open defecation and accidental shooting of persons who practise open defecation in the bush by hunters.
The latest is the increasing number of rape cases in the communities caused by open defecation.
The dangers are enormous and the society must rise up to check the trend.

Environment

MOSOP – Tinubu Not Sincere With Ogoni People For Oil Resumption

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of lacking sincerity in ongoing efforts to restart oil exploration in Ogoniland, insisting that key confidence-building promises remain unfulfilled.Gas price forecast

Spokesperson of the Anda Wai-Ogosu faction of MOSOP, Mr. Oscar Imeabe, made the allegation while speaking at the May stakeholders’ meeting organised by Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, PINL, in Port Harcourt.

Imeabe said the Federal Government had failed to implement critical measures it earlier described as confidence-building steps toward the resumption of oil production in Ogoni land.

He specifically cited the Federal University of Environmental Technology in Ogoni, noting that although the institution commenced operations in September 2025, it had not received any operational funding from the Federal Government as of May 2026.

“Part of the confidence building measures by President Tinubu was the establishment of the Federal University of Environmental Technology in Ogoni. The school took off since September 2025, but as we speak, this is May 2026, the Federal Government has not released any funds for the running of that university,” Imeabe said.

“So where is the confidence building measures the president talked about?”

The MOSOP spokesman also referenced the legacy of environmental activism in the region, recalling the execution of Ogoni leader Ken Saro-Wiwa and others, and the longstanding grievances over environmental degradation and economic exclusion linked to oil production.Gas price forecast

“I want to also remind us that people like Ken Saro-Wiwa fought and died for this same oil operations in Ogoni. Oil was being pumped in thousands of barrels in Ogoni, while Ogoni communities remained impoverished and the environment degraded and devastated,” he added.

Imeabe stressed that MOSOP was not opposed to the resumption of oil production in Ogoni, but insisted that due process, inclusion, and community participation must be guaranteed.

“We are not against oil resumption in Ogoni, but we are saying that the right thing should be done. The people of Ogoni must be involved in the oil resumption process. The people of Ogoni must be part of oil production. The people of Ogoni must benefit from Ogoni oil,” he said.

He urged stakeholders and advisers within the Federal Government to prevail on President Tinubu to fulfil earlier commitments and rebuild trust with the Ogoni people before any restart of oil operations in the area.

By: Kiadum Edookor

Environment

FG Pledge Support For IOM To Address Climate Incuced In West And Central Africa

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has pledged support for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) initiative aimed at mobilising investment to address climate-induced migration in West and Central Africa.

The Minister of Environment, Mr Balarabe Lawal, made the commitment on Tuesday in Lagos at a regional conference organised by the IOM.

The Tide source reports that the conference was targeted at bridging the gap between climate change policy to the actual climate financing.

Lawal, who was represented by the Director of Climate Change in the ministry, Dr Iniobong Abiola-Awe, said Nigeria would continue to support efforts to bridge the gap between climate policy and financing.

The conference with the theme: “Migration and Climate Action in West and Central Africa: From Policy Commitment to Climate Mobility Investment,” brought together policymakers, development partners and financial institutions.

Lawal said the region was facing increasing environmental pressures, including desertification in the Sahel, coastal erosion in the Gulf of Guinea and flooding across major river basins.

“As widely recognised, climate change acts as a threat multiplier, intensifying vulnerabilities and influencing migration decisions.

“However, we must shift our perspective. Mobility is not only a crisis to be managed, but also a form of adaptation and a pathway to resilience when properly harnessed,” he said.

The minister said Nigeria had taken proactive steps through its National Adaptation Plan, which provides a long-term framework for building resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate risks.

He said the plan prioritised climate-resilient agriculture, water resource management, disaster risk reduction, urban resilience, infrastructure and ecosystem-based adaptation.

Lawal added that Nigeria was integrating human mobility into its climate policy frameworks, recognising migration as a legitimate adaptation strategy rather than solely a consequence of failed adaptation.

He said the country’s approach aligned with the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change.

Lawal stressed the need for greater investment in climate finance, resilient infrastructure, livelihoods and stronger regional cooperation.

“Without adequate investment, policy commitments risk remaining aspirational,” he said.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to collaborate with regional partners, development institutions and the private sector to strengthen climate mobility governance and institutional capacity.

In her opening remarks, the IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Ms Sylvia Ekra, said climate change was already reshaping livelihoods, economies and migration patterns across the region.

She said more than two million people in West and Central Africa had already been displaced by disasters.

According to her, up to 32 million people in the region could be forced to move internally by 2050 if inclusive and effective climate action is not taken.

“Mobility is not only a crisis. It is also part of the solution, enabling people to adapt, manage risks and preserve livelihoods,” she said.

Ekra noted that while policy frameworks existed, responses remained fragmented and insufficient in scale.

She said the conference was significant because it brought together climate and migration stakeholders to jointly develop practical financing solutions.

Also speaking, the Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to supporting IOM activities in Nigeria and across West and Central Africa.

De Luca described the EU as one of the world’s largest funding partners in the area of migration and said it would continue to work closely with the IOM on climate and migration issues.

Environment

NGOs Task Media On Investing In Climate Literacy

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

Non Governmental Organisations in Abuja have urged media organisations to invest in climate literacy, aiming to move beyond basic weather reporting toward in-depth, solution-oriented journalism.

The NGOs made the call at a two-day Media Training Conference on “Climate Governance and Gender Mainstreaming in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Minamata Conventions”.

The Tide source reports that the training was organised by EnviroNews Advocacy & Campaigns for Sustainability (Endvocas) in collaboration with the Women Environmental Programme (WEP).

Rep. Sam Onuigbo, a former two-time member of the House of Representatives, said the media is a critical bridge between scientific knowledge and public action, necessitating specialised reporting to counter misinformation and drive accountability.

Onuigbo, who is also the sponsor of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act 2021, urged the media to also do investigative reports and have specialised environmental desks capable of sustaining informed public engagement.

“Journalism is the bridge between scientific knowledge and public consciousness.

“Scientists can publish reports, legislators can enact laws, and governments can formulate policies, but without journalists who translate technical realities into human understanding, public mobilisation becomes difficult.

“Climate journalism extends far beyond reporting temperature increases or covering international climate summits,” Onuigbo said.

According to him, Climate journalism involves holding governments accountable for climate commitments, investigating climate financing and environmental corruption and also to amplify the experiences of vulnerable communities.

“The Minamata Convention and Environmental Sustainability is beyond greenhouse gas emissions and rising temperatures.

“Environmental governance must also address toxic pollution and hazardous substances capable of threatening both human health and ecological sustainability.

“One of the most important international frameworks in this regard is the Minamata Convention on Mercury, adopted in 2013 and named after Minamata Bay in Japan where industrial mercury poisoning caused devastating health and environmental consequences.”

He stated that mercury pollution remains a major concern, particularly within artisanal and small-scale mining activities where unsafe mercury usage continues to contaminate water bodies, destroy ecosystems, and endanger human lives.

“The consequences include neurological disorders, developmental impairments, respiratory illnesses, and long-term ecological degradation.

“It is now a lived reality affecting communities across Nigeria and beyond. From devastating floods and desertification to food insecurity, displacement, shrinking water bodies, and rising temperatures.

“The consequences of climate disruption are already altering livelihoods and threatening national stability.

“Climate change is too large for one institution to solve alone. It demands a multistakeholder response involving legislatures, executives, the media, civil society, academia, the private sector, traditional institutions, women, and youths,” Onuigbo said.

Mr Michael Simire, Publisher of EnviroNews Nigeria, said that as climate impacts intensify across Nigeria, from devastating floods to heatwaves, biodiversity loss, and pollution, the need for informed, responsible, and gender responsive climate governance has never been more urgent.

“This is where the media stands tall.Journalists are not just storytellers; they are agenda setters, watchdogs, educators, and catalysts for change.

“The narratives you shape influence public perception, policy direction, and community action. When the media is empowered with knowledge, context, and clarity, society benefits from better governance, stronger advocacy, and more inclusive decision-making.

“Women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change and mercury pollution, yet their voices remain underrepresented in policy spaces.

“Integrating gender perspectives into climate and environmental reporting is not optional, it is essential for justice, equity, and effective solutions,” Simire said.

Mr Steve Abu, the National Network Coordinator, Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet) said that in Nigeria and across Africa, climate change is no longer a headline about tomorrow, it is the reality people are surviving today.

“This is why the role of journalists, storytellers, editors, broadcasters, and digital creators has been more critical.

“It is the media that translates complexity into public understanding. It is the media that gives human faces to scientific statistics.

“It is the media that can transform climate conversations from conference halls into kitchen-table discussions across Africa.

Dr Priscilla Achakpa, Founder and Global Lead, Women Environmental Programme said that environmental communication must go beyond headlines.

“Across the world, climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is here with us. We see it in rising temperatures, devastating floods, prolonged droughts, food insecurity, displacement of communities, and growing threats to livelihoods and public health.

“These environmental crises are not just scientific or policy issues. They are human stories. They are economic stories. They are justice stories.

Achakpa added that the role of the media had never been more critical; the media is not merely a channel for information but a force for transformation.

“Without informed and consistent environmental reporting, many citizens may never fully understand the dangers of climate change or the hidden impacts of chemical pollution.

“We need reporting that helps citizens understand why flooding is becoming more frequent, Why heatwaves are intensifying, why unsafe mining practices and mercury exposure matter and why environmental policies should concern every Nigerian.

She emphasised that the fight against climate change and pollution cannot be won by governments alone.

“The stories you tell can influence national priorities.

The questions you ask can drive accountability.

The facts you publish can save lives. And the awareness you create can shape a more sustainable future.

“Because the future of our environment is ultimately the future of our people.

Together, let us amplify the voices for climate justice, environmental protection, and sustainable development,” Achakpa said.

Dr Iniobong Abiola-Awe Director, Department of Climate Change in the Ministry of Environment, advocated gender responsive reporting as regards climate change.