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Nigeria still lagging behind in provision of water, sanitation

By Chinedum Uwaegbulam
05 March 2018   |   3:35 am
Thirty-three per cent (about 60 million) of people in Nigeria are currently living without adequate access to water; 67 per cent (over 120 million people) do not have a decent toilet and 26 per cent (about 47 million people) practice open defecation, according to a new report by international charity, WaterAid.

Walking back from the water source, Fikaji, Bauchi Sate, Nigeria

Thirty-three per cent (about 60 million) of people in Nigeria are currently living without adequate access to water; 67 per cent (over 120 million people) do not have a decent toilet and 26 per cent (about 47 million people) practice open defecation, according to a new report by international charity, WaterAid.

The report by Water Aid reveals that Nigeria is at the precipice of a water, sanitation and hygiene catastrophe. “Accessibility, availability and quality vary widely in Nigeria, with national averages masking significant inequalities between subnational regions.”

In a new brief launched last week, ‘How to reach everyone with safe water and sanitation by 2030’, WaterAid says urgent action to finance water and sanitation, to integrate it with efforts on health, nutrition and other related development, and to make progress sustainable is essential to reach everyone, everywhere.

Faster progress on all three will save lives, boost development and change the lives of billions of people living in extreme poverty globally. For every US$1 spent on water and sanitation, on average $4 is returned in economic benefits.

WaterAid urged Nigerian government must prioritise clean water, decent sanitation and good hygiene for people across the country, if Goal Six of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the provision of clean water and decent sanitation for everyone everywhere – is to be reached by 2030.

WaterAid Nigeria is urging the government to take action ahead of the UN’s High Level Political Forum in New York in July, where Goal 6 will come under review. Without water, decent sanitation and good hygiene, other Sustainable Development Goals, including those on gender equality, education, health, reducing inequalities and nutrition cannot be achieved.

Without access to these basic amenities, men, women and children in Nigeria will remain trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease, while being denied their basic human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.The Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, Dr ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, said: “We are at a critical juncture in the fight to get clean water, decent sanitation and good hygiene to the people of Nigeria and across the world.

“We know that if everyone, everywhere was able to access clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, then we could help end the scourge of extreme poverty and create a more sustainable future. But we have to act now to make this a reality.

“The Nigerian government must prioritise water, sanitation and hygiene – the basic building blocks of any prosperous community – ensuring proper financing is put in place to build a more sustainable country today and for future generations. The people of Nigeria will be watching.”

WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 34 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 25.8 million people with clean water and 25.1 million people with decent toilets. 

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