CLEANNIGERIA:USE THE

TOILET

INTRODUCTION

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Nigeria ranks second among countries practicing open defecation globally.

According to the findings from the 2018 WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping

(WASH NORM) survey, 24 percent of the population (47 million people) practice open

defecation.

Open defecation has an economic, social, and health impact on national

development. Nigeria loses about 1.3% (N455 billion) of GDP annually due to poor

sanitation and a third of that cost is as a result of open defecation. More than 100,000

children under five years of age die each year due to diarrhoea; of which 90 percent is

directly attributed to unsafe water and sanitation.

In November 2018, the Nigerian president declared a state of emergency in the

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment for

eliminating open defecation in the country, and launched a national campaign to

jump-start the country’s journey towards becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF) by

2025.

The Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) with support from UNICEF Nigeria

and other development partners, and in partnership with inter-ministerial agencies,

civil society organizations, the media, the private sector, and the people of Nigeria, is

currently leading the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign to end open

defecation by 2025 and achieve universal access to safely managed sanitation.

“Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” is an ambitious behavior-change campaign in Nigeria

with a strong citizen engagement component. Leveraging on what is currently

working (best practice) in states with Local Government Areas (LGAs) and

communities certified as ODF, this campaign is a national movement hinged on

policy advocacy, public advocacy, and private sector engagement.

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THE REALITY OF OPEN DEFECATION

Percentage of population practicing open defecation across the geopolitical zones

Geopolitical Zones

North Central

North East

North West

South East

South South

South West

1 in 4 Nigerians defecate in the open, while 1 in 2 persons in the North Central defecate in the open.

Out of 47 million Nigerians who practice open defecation, 16 million live in the North Central.

10.3

21.8

53.9

22.4

17.9

28.0

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NATIONAL TARGETS ON

SANITATION VS. CURRENT

PROGRESS

Nigeria needs to add 2 million toilets per

year between 2019 and 2025 to achieve

the target of Universal Basic Sanitation.

Nigeria’s current delivery of improved

toilet is approximately 160,000 per year.

2 Million Toilets Improved Toilet

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THE COST OF OPEN

DEFECATION IN NIGERIA

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Economic loss: Nigeria loses about 1.3% (N455 billion) of GDP annually

due to poor sanitation as a result of illness, low productivity, loss of

learning opportunities etc

Health impact: More than 100,000 children under 5 years of age die

each year due to diarrhoea; of which 90 percent is directly attributable

to unsafe water and sanitation. Nigeria is the second country with the

highest children’s deaths due to diarrhoea.

Impact on child development: 1 in 4 children under five years of age

exhibit severe stunting, while 1 in 10 are wasted, due to frequent

episodes of diarrhoea and other Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

(WASH) related illnesses.

Low productivity: Frequent episodes of WASH-related diseases cause

absence from school or work, as affected people take time off to heal,

and some to take care of a sick relative.

Poor education outcomes: Reduced school enrolment and

attendance due to time lost in search for water and frequent episodes

of WASH-related illnesses.

Loss of dignity and security: Open defecation results in loss of

dignity, increased risks of insecurity and violence against women and

children.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Based on empirical study, every naira

invested in the water and sanitation sector

results in economic benefit ranging from

N1,080 to N12,240 ($3 to $34). The gains come

through savings in healthcare costs,

increased productivity, and entrepreneurial

opportunities for the sanitation market.

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WHAT THE GOVERNMENT

IS DOING

The Nigerian government has made some progress towards achieving the

Sustainable Development Goal 6 and eliminating inequalities in the WASH sector:

The Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

(PEWASH) programme was formulated and launched in 2016 in direct

response to the challenges affecting the rural WASH sector, with the

aim of achieving 100% WASH coverage in rural areas.

The “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign to end open defecation is

a key initiative that will reach many unserved populations.

Sanitation financing mechanism, through the engagement of micro

finance institutions, community-based savings and loan schemes, as

well as a government pool fund, are also being used to make loans

available for households, especially the rural poor, to construct

improved toilets.

A national Village Level Operation Maintenance (VLOM) strategy for

managing water supply facilities in all rural communities in Nigeria

has been launched. National guidelines are also being drafted by the

Federal Ministry of Water Resources to appropriately mainstream

gender issues in WASH programming in the sector.

The WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping survey disaggregates

national WASH data across regions, sub-sectors, and household

wealth, gender, literacy and disabilities status, and also explores

equity and dignity indicators, such as gender-separate toilets for

privacy in public institutions and safety of water systems and toilets

for children and people living with disabilities.

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WHAT WE WANT TO CHANGE

Get 47 million Nigerians to use

the toilet and stop open

defecation. Increase access to

improved sanitation, especially

in rural communities.

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WHAT ARE NIGERIA’S PRIORITIES?

Sanitation and hygiene promotion and

awareness creation.

Advocating for the provision of WASH

services and infrastructure

development in rural communities,

schools, health care facilities, and

across marginalized and disadvantaged

groups.

Supporting sanitation demand creation

and supply chain through community

engagement, market-based sanitation,

and financing.

Advocating for a strengthened WASH

sector policy and institutional

environment at the national and sub-

national levels for better WASH

governance and service delivery.

Eliminating open defecation by 2025.

Supporting the presidential declaration

of the state of emergency and the

national action plan for the

revitalization of the WASH sector.

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WHAT WE NEED

Strong political commitment in

leadership at all levels to improve

sanitation and end open

defecation. And increased

budgetary allocation.

Increased and well-targeted WASH

funding at all levels, especially for

rural areas.

Increased support from the media

for the dissemination of behaviour

change messages, institutional

advocacy, and increased coverage

of human interest stories on

sanitation.

Increased collaboration amongst

development organizations and

civil society organizations working

to improve sanitation and end

open defecation.

Increased private sector

engagement in the WASH sector –

through business investment and

corporate citizenship/corporate

social responsibility. And sanitation

and hygiene awareness creation

through branding and promotion.

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Produced by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources with support from UNICEF.

Data source: 2018 WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASH NORM),

World Health Organization/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water

Supply and Sanitation.

Clean Nigeria: Use The Toilet