By Obiorah Anthony Ugwonwa
Open defecation according to experts in the Health Sector is the practice of defecating outside, rather than into a toilet by the people. They emphasized that people no doubt, may choose open fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals or other open spaces for defecation. They want further to state that people do so either because they do not have toilet readily accessible or due to archaic cultural practice over the years, not minding its enormous hazards to human health and the society at large.
Since defecating in open place is an affront to human dignity, children’s nutrition and risk to community health, it is noteworthy to state categorically that the dreaded practice varied from country to country. It can be a voluntary, semi-voluntary and in some cases involuntary choice by the people.
Most times, lack of access to a toilet may be the reason. However, in some places, even people with functional toilets in their houses prefer to defecate in the open to enjoy their cigarettes or marijuana, as well as the fresh air that adore their anus while defecating in open place.
There is no gain highlighting, the risk of open defecation in a developing world like Nigeria because it is so enormous, such as diarrhea, worm infections which weaken the children and make them more susceptible to malnutrition and other opportunistic diseases like pneumonia and malaria. Also, the practice of open defecation, equally leaves faeces exposed in the ways that can easily lead to other people coming into contact with faecal pathogens.
On the side of dangers of the dreaded monster, it can further pollute the environment and cause health problems or diseases. Moreso, the high level of child mortality, malnutrition, poverty and large disparities between the rich and the poor is linked to no doubt, open defecation in the society. Open defecation, lack of sanitation and hygiene in general, are important factors that cause various degrees of diseases. The most common being typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, polio, trachoma, among others.
It is pertinent to mention that the 2025 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) grants provide crucial funding to support innovative and impactful projects focused on improving water, sanitation and hygiene in the underserved communities. These grants according to WASH is aiming to
enhance public health, promote sustainable practice and ensure access to safe water and sanitation for all.
Findings are that Nigeria, Ethiopian, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and Chad have a high number of people in the world struggling with open defecation. Disparities in access to proper sanitation facilities were identified among impoverished individuals and those residing in the rural areas.
Since it has been observed that the highest total number of people live in India, followed by Nigeria and Indonesia, it is also important to make it known to the general public that the highest rate of open defecation rests squarely among urban population.
One incontrovertible fact is that it is very appalling and unfortunate that Nigeria, as the giant of Africa, is still talking about open defecation in this Twenty First Century. In June, 2023, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) identified Nigeria as the capital of open defecation in the world.
Report had it that the assertion was made by the UNICEF Chief of WASH, Jane Bevan during a two-day Media Dialogue on open defecation, organized by UNICEF in collaboration with Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in Biu, Borno State.
In the course of the media dialogue, it was also reported that Nigeria has been among the top five countries that their citizens engage in open defecation in the world, for the past 15 years , moving from 5th place in 2003, second place in 2015 and now first place in 2023 with eradication of open defecation in India in 2019. There were 47 million cases of open defecation in Nigeria, 20 million in Ethiopia, 16 million in Pakistan, and 17 million in Indonesia.
A warning has been issued by health experts that Nigeria might miss the target of 2025 and 2030 because according to them, only 102 out of 774 local government areas in Nigeria, representing 13% are certified open defecation free (ODF)in the country while 24 states including Federal Capita Territory (FCT) had no validated local government area.
In South East Nigeria, sensitization campaign on sanitation with the theme, clean Nigeria: Use Toilet, was held recently in Awka, where it was unveiled that over 48 million Nigerians are practicing open defecation with its unquatuifiable attendances.
Nigeria, under the economic loss, as a result of practicing open defecation, loses about 1.3% of its GDP annually amounting to #455 billion while under health impact, more than 100,000 children under 5 years of age die each year due to diarrhea of which 90% is directly attributed to unsafe water and sanitation.
Kudos to the Governor of Enugu State, Barrister Peter Mba, for accenting to a law prohibiting the practice of open defecation in the state. In Anambra State, defecating in open places in the urban cities of Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Otuocho and Ihiala has become a thing of the past following the stringent laws put in place by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s Administration in the State.
Furthermore, a study by UNICEF revealed that 3% of the population in Anambra State practice open defecation, making it the second highest rate among the South East five States under the Enugu Office with Abia state recording the lowest rate, 2%. In November, 2024, UNICEF disclosed that only 3 local government areas in Anambra state are free from open defecation. According to them, they are Aguata, Anambra East and Nnewi Local Government Areas.
Consequently, Nigerian Government is not resting on its oars in achieving the Sustenable Development Goals targeting on universal access to safe and affordable drinking water and access to sanitation and hygiene and above all, end open defecation by 2030.
To end open defecation in 2030, take strong commitment in leadership at all levels in the country to improve sanitation and total eradication of open defecation in Nigeria. In November, 2018, the then president of Nigeria, declared state of emergency in WASH Sector.
This no doubt, demonstrated high political will by the government, leading to the launching of the National Sanitation Campaign tagged “Clean Nigeria: Use Toilet.” This is to jump-start the country’s journey towards becoming open defecation free by 2030.
Since government cannot do it alone, there is a need to strengthen and scale up proven strategies to attain the country’s goals come 2030. There is also a need to emphasize that the school heads, religious leaders, market captains in the country, those in the banking sectors and the university communities should join forces with government in making her goals hinged on making Nigeria Open Defecation free by 2030, come into fruition.
It is overtly expected that they should work towards building toilet facilities in their respective institutions, especially at the market places where the people defecate on any available space. Landlords on their own should aid the government in this fight, by ensuring that they provide functional sophisticated toilet facilities to their tenants, to avoid indiscriminate defecation by the people due to lack of toilets or channelling the soak way to the water drainages, adding the already existing poor water, sanitation and hygiene challenges of the country.
By Obiorah Anthony Ugwonwa
Media Practicioner
