Coordinating interventions to end open defecation in Nigeria by Nigerians through the participation of the organized private sector under the leadership of the Nigerian Government in all levels and with the support of other stakeholders.
Learn MoreNigeria ranks second among countries practicing open defecation globally. According to the findings from the 2018 WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASH NORM) survey, 24 percent of the population (47 million people) practice open defecation.
Open defecation has an economic, social, and health impact on national development. Nigeria loses about 1.3% (N455 billion) of GDP annually due to poor sanitation and a third of that cost is as a result of open defecation. More than 100,000 children under five years of age die each year due to diarrhoea; of which 90 percent is directly attributed to unsafe water and sanitation.
In November 2018, the Nigerian president declared a state of emergency in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment for eliminating open defecation in the country and launched a national campaign to jump-start the country’s journey towards becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2025.
The Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) with support from UNICEF Nigeria and other development partners, and in partnership with inter-ministerial agencies, civil society organizations, the media, the private sector, and the people of Nigeria, is currently leading the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign to end open defecation by 2025 and achieve universal access to safely managed sanitation.
“Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” is an ambitious behavior-change campaign in Nigeria with a strong citizen engagement component. Leveraging on what is currently working (best practice) in states with Local Government Areas (LGAs) and communities certified as ODF, this campaign is a national movement hinged on policy advocacy, public advocacy, and private sector engagement.
The “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” Campaign of the Federal Government of Nigeria aims at coordinating interventions to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025. The robust campaign is multisectoral and can be effectively implemented through a concerted effort of all. The role of the Private Sector in supporting the Federal Government of Nigeria to end open defecation in the country by 2025 cannot be over-emphasized.
To this effect, UNICEF has supported the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to visit a number of top-notch companies in Nigeria to create awareness about the menace of open defecation and generate their interests & commitments to support the government to implement the campaign.
As the role of the Private Sector in supporting the Federal Government of Nigeria to end open defecation in the country by 2025 cannot be over-emphasized, UNICEF and Zenith Water Projects are planning to support the FGN to organise a private sector event that brings key private sector players together in one room to discuss and determine what exactly will be done by each of them to support the campaign.
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