The Federal Government is developing a national policy to tackle open defecation in the country, the Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril,  has said.

In his keynote address at the commemoration of the 2018 World Toilet Day in Abuja on Monday, Jibril also stated that the Federal Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with stakeholders, was reviewing the National Environment Policy, including its policy guidelines on safe excreta and sewage disposal.

This is coming as the Country Director, WaterAid Nigeria, Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye, stated that findings by the Joint Monitoring Programme  had shown  that more than 120 million Nigerians do not have access to  decent toilet facilities, while about 40 million others practise open defecation.

“This contributes to the death of nearly 60,000 children under five years every year from diarrhoea, one of the highest numbers in the world,” Aniagolu-Okoye said.

On the plans by government to stop open defecation, Jibril said, “The 12th National Council on Environment  in Akure, Ondo State, recently approved and directed the Federal Ministry of Environment to develop a national policy for the declaration of national emergency in open defecation.”

The minister, who was represented by the Director, Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, FME, Margaret Akinmuko, however, told participants at the event that the Federal Government was committed to addressing the sanitation challenges facing  Nigeria, including ending open defecation and ensuring a proper management of excreta.

“This commitment is demonstrated by the President’s recent declaration of a State of Emergency in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in the country,” he said.

Jibril added that “the community-based waste management programme, as well as the Clean and Green Programme of the ministry, are aimed at promoting the provision of safe and adequate toilets across the country, particularly in public places and ensuring a proper excreta management.”

He observed that one major consequence of poor excreta disposal was a high rate of diarrhoea, which is the second cause of increased morbidity and mortality among children under five.

“The persistent recurrence of cholera outbreaks in some of our states and the occurrence and recurrence of other excreta-related diseases are also the manifestations of inadequate toilet facilities. Yet this could also be prevented through safe excreta disposal by every individual,” the minister said.

Confirming the minister’s comments, Aniagolu-Okoye noted that WaterAid’s 2018 State of the World’s Toilet Report  had shown  that in Nigeria, 52 per cent of schools are without toilets and around 62 million children do not have a decent toilet at home.