Nigeria has been ranked among top three countries in the world with the largest number of people practising open defecation.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialist, Mainga Moono Banda disclosed this yesterday, in a presentation at the opening of a two-day media dialogue organised by UNICEF and EU in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Information in Awka, Anambra State.
Mainga said that from the 2017 MICS survey, over 46 million people still practice Open Defection (ODF) in Nigeria as 33 million of this figure live in the rural areas.
“130 million across the country use unapproved sanitary facilities, more than half live in the rural area, while 45,000 children die annually from diseases caused by poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene,” she said.
She said WASH plays a critical role in improving health, nutrition and hygiene in Nigeria, saying that for Nigeria to meet SDG goal 6 on water and sanitation by 2030, provision of safe and adequate hygiene that would curb issues of water borNe and sanitation related diseases must be tackled.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at the workshop, stressed the importance of WASH in the life of a child.
Culled From Daily Trust.
By Mercy Kukah
