Vice President Shettima Calls For Urgent Action To Eliminate Open Defecation In Five Years

Vice President Shettima Calls For Urgent Action To Eliminate Open Defecation In Five Years

The federal government has called on state governors to accelerate efforts to eradicate open defecation across Nigeria within the next five years. Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized the significance of this...READ MORE…

campaign, stating that each step toward ending open defecation will improve public health, boost productivity, and enhance the dignity and safety of Nigerians.

Speaking at the 5th anniversary of the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ campaign, Shettima launched the new Strategic Plan at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Represented by Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, he urged state governments to rally high-level political support to drive the initiative at the local and state levels.

Shettima highlighted the economic opportunities within Nigeria’s sanitation sector, emphasizing how aligning these opportunities with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda could generate jobs, provide alternative energy solutions, and produce biological fertilizers. He described the new Strategic Plan as a comprehensive framework to achieve access to toilets for all Nigerians by 2030.

The Vice President also warned about the dangers of open defecation, stressing that it poses a significant public health and environmental risk. He noted that it pollutes water sources, spreads diseases, and undermines the quality of life, education, and economic productivity. Vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, are most at risk due to inadequate sanitation facilities.

The current administration is committed to achieving an Open Defecation Free Nigeria, which aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal 6.2. Shettima praised the support of various stakeholders, including state governors, local government leaders, international partners, and the private sector.

Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, also spoke at the event, noting that the anniversary coincided with World Toilet Day, an initiative by the United Nations aimed at accelerating the global drive to end open defecation. He recalled the launch of the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ campaign in 2019, under Presidential Executive Order 009, aimed at addressing Nigeria’s high rate of open defecation, estimated at 48 million people.

Prof. Utsev highlighted the campaign’s progress, with 135 local government areas achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. However, he stressed that more efforts were needed to meet the 2025 target for nationwide ODF advocacy.

Senator Eze Kenneth Emeka, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources, commended the federal government for the initiative and urged that the campaign remain focused on the 2025 goal of eliminating open defecation across Nigeria.

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