Open Defecation Eradication as a National Priority: A Critical Issue for a Cleaner, Healthier Nigeria
Environment Minister Salako recently spoke about the critical importance of ending open defecation in Nigeria during a public hearing organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Environment. This initiative aims to increase the number of toilets available each year in the country, as part of the government’s “Clean and Green” program, which notably aims to eliminate open defecation by 2025.
Salako stressed that this target would help ensure sustainable total sanitation and implementation of environmentally friendly technological initiatives in Nigeria. The ministry is implementing community interventions to control open defecation nationwide, including awareness campaigns, construction of public toilets equipped with solar powered boreholes.
This program has already been successfully rolled out in four states, namely Abuja, Nasarawa, Niger and Abia, and the ministry plans to expand it nationwide. As a ministry, our responsibility is to ensure that Nigeria develops in harmony with its environment. We are committed to ensuring the protection of the environment and the conservation of natural resources for sustainable development.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment, Pondi Gbabojor, has called on the Federal Government and its agencies at all levels to take deliberate steps to improve the living conditions of Nigerians. This includes those whose statutory responsibilities relate to environmental conservation, provision of disaster relief, environmental remediation and infrastructure.
As representatives of the people, it is our duty to urge state authorities to comprehensively address these challenges. The commitment to eradicating open defecation is an important step towards a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Nigeria for future generations.