The seventh edition of the public presentation of the State of the Nigerian Environment study has revealed that no fewer than 179 million people in Nigeria live in unclean environment. The STONE 2024 figure is an improvement compared to 183 million recorded in 2023. The report was signed by Mr Ene Owoh, National Coordinator Clean-Up Nigeria, an NGO, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja.
The report followed the Cleanest State Champions event tagged “STONE 2024 Unplugged.” According to Owoh, the indicators used in the study aimed to promote comprehensive environmental policies targeting governments at all levels and citizens. “The 2024 zonal rating has significant merits; expected to improve Nigeria’s national cleanliness index rating.
“On one hand, the country has seen a slight improvement in reducing open defecation, from 24 per cent in 2023 to 20 per cent in 2024.” Owoh said that STONE aimed to highlight the importance of environmental cleanliness and sustainability in terms of waste management. “Nigeria’s sanitation situation is a mixed bag; unfortunately, waste recycling efforts have declined, dropping from 26 per cent in 2023 to 19 per cent in 2024.
“This decrease is attributed to the rising poverty levels in the country. “The STONE Study’s findings further revealed that only seven states demonstrated good personal hygiene and sanitation practices among their citizens.’’ Owoh said that the annual Cleanliness Perform.
