Buhari to launch campaign against open defecation aimed at providing toilets everywhere by 2025

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari is to launch a campaign against open defecation known as Clean Nigeria Use Toilet in a bid to bring about an end to the practice of Nigerians relieving themselves in public by 2025.

At the moment, about 47m people still defecate openly in Nigeria according to records. Also, only 10 out of the country's 774 local government areas have been certified open defecation-free since the 2016-2025 road map on sanitation was launched by President Buhari three years ago.

Water resources minister Suleiman Adamu, said: “Ten out of 774 local governments is very dismal but it is work in progress. However, we have also made some progress as 20 to 21,000 communities in the country today are open defecation free.

"The problem is we still have 47m people practicing open defecation and Nigeria has been moving up the ladder since 2012 from being number four or five in the world to having the ranking of number two. India is number one but India has been working to end open defecation and in the last four years they have taken over 500m out of open defecation and India plans to declare itself open defecation free by October 2019.

"Once that happens, Nigeria will become the number one country in the world that practices open defecation. You will all agree with me that this is an honour we do not want to have, so the Federal Executive Council approved a number of measures including the fact that Mr President will launch the Clean Nigeria campaign on a day to be decided."

He added that the cabinet will be requesting for an annual budget of N10.6bn for the campaign, According to Mr Adamu, this is not money that will be taken out of budget alone, as there will also be contributions from development partners and the corporate world and ministers will seek to mobilise Nollywood, youths, children, women etc.

Mr Adamu added: “It will come with an executive order to give effect to the clean Nigeria campaign. All ministries are to establish specific budget lines and work plans to implementing their sector specific activities to end open defecation and improve sanitation in the country.

“The campaign will also involve state governments and households. We intend to use community led sanitation and hinging more on behavioural change rather than doling out money.”

In November last year, President Buhari launched a national action plan for revitalising the Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash), where he also declared a state of emergency on water and sanitation sector in Nigeria. An important aspect of the plan is for Nigeria to be open defecation free.

This national plan of action is a significant political milestone towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 to reach everyone, everywhere with clean water and decent sanitation by 2030.