With just six years to the set target to end open defecation (OD) in Nigeria, the Federal Government has joined forces with some key partners including UNICEF and the private sector to accelerate using hygiene and sanitation to eliminate OD and simultaneously eradicating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The worry of the authority and concerned stakeholders stem from the fact that while the 2030 global target date to end OD is close by there isn’t much recorded in terms of progress, suggesting that Nigeria could miss the set target. These are the highlights of a two-day Media Dialogue on ‘Ending Open Defecation in Nigeria and Eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs,’ which was held in Lagos State from September 12 to 13.
According to the 2021 WASHNORM reports, over 48 million Nigerians continue to engage in OD. The National Coordinator Clean Nigeria Campaign, an affiliate of the Federation Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mrs Chizoma Opara, explained that OD is a significant contributor to the spread of NTDs including, dengue fever, Chikungunya fever, Human African trypanosomiasis, rabies, Leprosy (Hansen’s disease), Leishmaniasis, Lymphatic filarasis (Elephantitis), among others. Opara said that in Nigeria, over 200 million people are affected by at least one NTD.
These diseases are transmitted through contaminated soil and faeces, perpetuating cycles of poverty, malnutrition, and ill health in the country. According to Opara, addressing OD is cruc.