UNICEF resource person, Sam Adejo Okedi has announced that Nigeria is in a crisis situation as it has now become the number one country in the global Open Defecation (OD) index.
UNICEF in its recent reports revealed that Open Defecation (OD) has continued to be a recurring factor in Nigeria’s health sector challenges.
This was disclosed in a workshop marking 2021 World Toilet Day, organised by the UNICEF Field Office in Enugu on Friday, Okedi made it known that 46 million Nigerians still defecate openly.
In her welcome remark, UNICEF Field Communications Officer, Mrs Ijeoma Onuoha Ogwe, noted the value of toilets in the life of children, especially girl children, as it does not only give them privacy and dignity but also protects them rape and other sexual offences.
According to a report, of Nigeria’s 774 LGAs, only 74 LGAs are OD free which is 10 per cent.
How the country will succeed in making the remaining 90 per cent remains debatable even as the workshop insisted that with a strong commitment by government and other stakeholders, buoyed by enough material support and enhanced awareness creation and publicity, that an OD free Nigeria was attainable by 2025.
