The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, on Wednesday said over 45 million Nigerians still practice open defecation and only about 25 per cent of the population have access to safely managed sanitation facilities.
Lawal said this in Abuja at a press briefing to commemorate the 2025 World Toilet Day, themed “Sanitation in a Changing World,” with the tagline “We’ll Always Need the Toilet.”
Lawal, represented by the Permanent Secretary at the ministry, Mahmud Kambari, noted that this year’s theme reflects the growing impacts of climate change, rapid urbanisation, and widening inequalities that weaken sanitation systems.
The United Nations General Assembly, in recognition of the global sanitation challenge, declared 19th November every year as World Toilet Day to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis, which still affects billions of people worldwide.
The Day also supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal Six – Clean Water and Sanitation for All.
The minister said, “The advent and access to toilets remain a foundation to public health and play an important role in protecting both people and the environment. They hygienically remove human waste, reduce exposure to diseases, and uphold dignity. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, toilets and the systems that support them remain underfunded, poorly managed, or neglected.
“Currently, about 4.2 billion people globally live without access to safe toilets, while in Nigeria, over 45 million people still practice open defecation, and only about 25 per cent of the population have access to safely managed sanitation facilities.
“Many schools, healthcare facilities, and public institutions either lack functional toilets or have facilities that are poorly managed. In urban areas, the absence of adequate sewerage systems has led to unsafe disposal of wastewater and sewage into rivers and streams, thereby contaminating our environment with resultant impact.”
He stated that the situation contributes significantly to diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid, and intestinal worm infections, which continue to claim lives, especially among children under five years of age.
The PUNCH
