47 million people do not use toilets in Nigeria, causing nearly 87,000 diarrhea deaths in children under the age of five.
This is according to a Kaduna based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Center for Water and Environment Development (CWED)
She said poor sanitation contributes to several other neglected tropical diseases and under nutrition.
The programme manager of CWED, Doris Zakama, disclosed this during a sensitization visit to Karuga community in Chikun, Kaduna State as part of activities to mark the World Toilet Day (WTD) 2021.
She said the day which is marked on November 19 with this year’s theme; “Valuing Toilet” emphasises the importance of expanding sanitation access to the people living without safely managed sanitation options.
In her message to community members, she said good toilets save lives, because human waste spreads killer diseases, so the World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and reduce open defecation practice across the nation.
The world is not on track to reach Sustainable Developement Goal 6 if we don’t
ensure availability and sustainable management of sanitation and water for all by 2030. Today, 4.5 billion people live without a safe toilets and 892 million people still practice open defecation.
“The impact of exposure to human faeces on this scale has a devastating effect on public health, living and working conditions, nutrition, education and economic productivity across the world,” she said.