‘49 million Nigerians still defecate openly’

No fewer than 49 million Nigerians still defecate openly, a UNICEF Water Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist, Mr. Bisi Agberemi, has said.

Agberemi said this at the ongoing two-day National Stakeholders Workshop on “Roadmap for Ending Open Defecation” in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the Federal Government must speed up efforts to eliminate open defecation in the country, adding that open defecation remained the leading cause of preventable child deaths.

He added that only 64 per cent of the world’s population had access to improved sanitation, stressing that it was sad to note that Nigeria was still among the top 10 countries practising open defecation.

He, however, called for the review of obsolete public health laws and implementation of policies to meet the 2025 target.

The specialist also called for increased funding of sanitation issues, saying that awareness should be promoted at all levels of government. ...Punch