As part of efforts aimed at making Nigeria Open Defecation Free, Wateraid Nigeria has called on government and relevant stakeholders to intensify efforts to achieve open defecation free status by 2025.
Experts in the public health sector have expressed concern that Nigeria may not end open defecation by 2025, saying the country’s current progress on the target is far from realization as available statistics indicated that millions of Nigerians still lack access to clean water and clean toilets.
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Blessing Sani, Communications Officer at Wateraid, who spoke at a case study identification and documentation workshop in Bauchi said Wateraid is using a strategy called Sanitation Marketing in selected communities to drive the sale and demand for toilets especially the Water Easy Toilets (WET).
She explained that the strategy was adopted as it had been observed that Community dwellers often rely on government and non-governmental Organizations to provide toilets and therefore do not see themselves as being responsible in providing toilets for their households.
The Communications Officer further advised that all efforts towards improving access to clean toilets, water must be community-based, adding that Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects will best thrive if communities can embrace it as theirs and not just some government or political intervention.
