CHIMA NWAFO
There are clear indications that the governments of the federation – even though “democratically elected” civilian administrations – still maintain traces of military approach to governance issues. Evidence abound, but the topic of discussion, open defecation, is a good example.
Defecating in the open is a very ancient practice, both in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world, including the now socio-economically and politically advanced world. The reasons were almost identical, because there were more open spaces and less population pressure on land. Such practice was not considered a threat when done in areas with low population, forests, or camping type situations. But with civilization and urbanization, open defecation gradually became a challenge – an important public health and humanity issue; particularly in cities and towns with clean and decent environment where more attention was given to hygiene and health.
In Nigeria, the rate of urbanization out-paced physical and economic development. The reason was simple: Both social and physical development was skewed against the rural areas, leading to rural-urban migration. Above all, with the exit of the colonial administration, the state of public health and hygiene dipped. And as if to match the decline, town and country planning existed only on paper in government offices. As a result of corruption, there was little or no enforcement of municipal laws. Above all, our culture of open markets and village squares was transported to the urban areas. That explains the total absence of conveniences of any type in Markets, Motor Parks, Plazas as well as strategic points on major roads and highways and municipal areas. In fact, public convenience is a scarce commodity in major towns and cities, as have been mentioned in earlier writ-ups. Much as we regale ourself as an independent nation, same former colonial masters, now represented by the United Nations and its agencies, always remind us of our failures and weaknesses, backed with monetary aid and skilled manpower in every aspect of life. Else, why would it take the UNICEF to teach us the essence of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). And how positively are we responding to the challenge? We shall come to that presently.
The World Toilet Day was established by the World Toilet Organization in 2001. Twelve years later, the UN General Assembly declared it an official UN Day in 2013.This year, the theme is “Leaving no one behind”; same as Sustainable Development Goals 6 theme: which aims to achieve sanitation for all and end open defecation. The November 19 world Toilet day is designed to inform, engage and inspire people to take action towards achieving this goal.
Based on the UNICEF reports, India which, given its population and mountainous terrain understandably, was leading in 2016 open defecation report, took action. And, by the first quarter of 2019, it has dropped from the top; which Nigeria now comfortably occupies with 47 million of its citizens involved in open defecation. The truth is that it could be more, given its prevalence in metropolitan Lagos and FCT Abuja. If in doubt, observe how many Nigerians, beginning from where you are, has access to potable water, or urinate anywhere he or she is pressed? Consequently, first step towards WASH would have been engaging in massive provision of potable water nationwide. Again, in organized climes, this should be the responsibility of city mayors and state regional administrations. Under the military, it’s a norm to act before thinking and planning. Serious issues were settled by fiat. Certain actions of the Federal Government concerning WASH were reminiscent of such.
First, in November 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly declared a state of emergency on the WASH sector and re-launched the ambitious plan to eliminate open defecation by 2025. What has the relevant agencies of government done about water supply and provision of public convenience in the country so far? No reports yet of any move towards improvement of hygiene and sanitation or water supply. About the same time the President also ordered the release of N2 billion from the Ecology Fund for tree planting nationwide. No details to date about the disbursement and implementation. According to Vanguard newspaper report, last September, Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), to make open defecation and “reckless urination” an offence. Adamu is the very minister who should be bothered about the actualization of WASH, and by extension, end to open defecation.
Fortunately, a non-politician spoke out before hundreds of poor Abuja residents are thrown into jail. The Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, Chichi Aniagolu, said it would be punitive for the government to go after citizens engaging in the undignified way of passing bodily waste without putting in place adequate toilet facilities. She blamed the acute lack of access to proper toilet facilities across Nigeria as reasons why some citizens believe they have no alternative than to indulge in open defecation.
She posited: “I think sanctions are important. But before that, we have to make sure the facilities are available because nobody wants to sit under a tree to defecate openly. We need to make sure the infrastructure is in place. If there are PUBLIC TOILETS (emphasis mine) and people still defecate openly and illegally, then they can be sanctioned; but sanctioning someone when there are no facilities is unnecessary and punitive.” She noted that 50 per cent of all schools in Nigeria do not have basic water supply, sanitation and toilet facilities while 50 per cent of health-care facilities lack clean water; about 88 per cent of them lack basic sanitation.”
Based on the foregoing, Ms Aniagolu cautioned: “The Nigerian government should take stringent measures against landlords building houses without proper toilet facilities before going after citizens engaging in open defecation.”
Last Monday, Adamu, while declaring open a two-day forum on sanitation, in Abuja, announced that Nigeria now ranks number one in the world with people practising open defecation. “On October 2, India stopped being the world number one country with the highest number of people practising open defecation in the world. Understandably, this is a serious concern to all of us, as it has immense economic consequences and also hinders the social development of the country.” Ironically, the forum was not the brainchild of any of the several ecology-related agencies of government or Ministry of Environment. As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria, it was organised by the … Private Sector Forum on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) in Abuja last Monday, with the theme, “Coordinating Indigenous Private Sector Initiatives to End Open Defecation in Nigeria.”
Mr. Zaid Jurji of UNICEF stressed the need for private sector involvement to end open defecation in the country. Good talk! But, a WaterAid Nigeria finding revealed that: “Across the study cities, it was found that the content of sanitation-related state policies are generally not amenable to private sector participation and citizens’ ownership, and the oversight functions on sanitation are fragmented across different MDAs.”
To a large extent, the above finding which tallies with modus operandi of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), almost renders ineffective any meaningful cooperation or assistance from the organized private sector. Notwithstanding, even if companies are determined to offer some succor in their various locales, the core issue of water and sanitation is the responsibility of government. Besides, given most companies’ understanding of what corporate social responsibility is and their social commitment to the welfare of their communities, private sector involvement may only delay the solution far beyond the projected year. Besides, much as they initiated the forum, how many are financially viable to provide the desired aid?
According to experts, to meet the 2025 target, Nigeria needs to build two million toilets every year from 2019 to 2025. Although there is no evidence of where and how many have been built, Bioye Ogunjobi, a WASH specialist for UNICEF, Nigeria, was reported to have said the country is currently delivering about 100,000 toilets annually.
However, to provide insight into the key barriers and opportunities in meeting the 2025 target, despite Ogunjobi’s assertion, WaterAid Nigeria, earlier in the year commissioned Mangrove and Partners, a public policy research consultancy firm, to conduct a context analysis of urban sanitation in Enugu, Kano and Warri. The study which was released last Wednesday “found that policies intended to address sanitation challenges are skewed against each other, and that sanitation is largely overshadowed in terms of details, targets and budget…. In many cases, the policies do not make provision for faecal sludge.”
The minister agreed this is a serious concern to all of us, “as it has immense economic consequences and also hinders the social development of the country.” On her part, UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Ms Pernille Ironside, said Nigeria loses N455 billion annually to poor sanitation due to open defecation.
Ironside who made the disclosure at the forum noted that the important challenge revealed by the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASH NORM) was that 47 million Nigerians were still practising open defecation.
As usual, funds have been released without details, criminalizing open defecation threats have been issued without providing the necessary facilities in the FCT, while over 50 per cent of health centres and public and private educational institutions, lest cities and highways which traditionally have no public toilets, water, sanitation and hygiene. Yet, we have only six or even less years to the 2025 target year when 47 million Nigerians would have stopped open defecation.
*Nwafo, Environmental Analyst, can be reached on: [email protected]; +234802-933-4754.
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