#OpenDefecation
Every year more than 70,000 children under five die in Nigeria from diarrhoea as a result of unsafe water and poor sanitation conditions. At least 24% (47 million people) of the population practise open defecation, according to a 2018 national survey.
The government has acknowledged the dire situation, with Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian president, declaring a state of emergency on water, sanitation and hygiene in November 2018. This was followed by a national campaign – Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet – launched in April 2019 to jumpstart the implementation of a national action plan to reach the 2025 target.
The government is working with the UN children’s agency, Unicef, the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), the EU, and NGO WaterAid.
0 Comments