The Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof, Joseph Utsev has disclosed that the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), has validated and declared an additional 12 new Local Government Areas as Open Defecation Free.
NTGS, a Multi-Sectoral Platform involving Line Ministries, Agencies, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Networks, and the Media, made the declaration during its monthly meeting held on Tuesday 19th December 2023 in Abuja, according to the statement by the
Head, Press and Public Relations Unit of the Ministry, Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan.
TheFact Daily reports that as of 2022, over 1.5 billion people globally still do not have basic sanitation services, such as private toilets or latrines, and 419 million still defecate in the open, for example in street gutters, behind bushes, or into open bodies of water.
In Nigeria, the story is the same as an estimated 48 million Nigerians still engaging in the practice. With this new addition, out of the 774 local government areas in Nigeria, only 117 are open defecation-free.
Experts said that open defecation poses significant health risks, as infected human excreta contain harmful organisms associated with various diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, and viral infections.
Meanwhile, the Water Resources Minister, Prof. Utsev, gave the names of the twelve additional ODF Local Government Areas as follows;
Kano State: 7N0s. Local Government Areas; Kunchi, Gezawa, Ajingi, Karaye, Rimin Gado, Rano & Albasu
Katsina State: 2N0s. Local Government Areas; Kankara and Funtua
Bayelsa State: 1N0. Local Government area; Kolokuma/Opokuma
Delta State: 1N0. Local Government Area; Oshimili North
Ogun State: 1N0. Local Government Area; Ikenne
He revealed that this new record brings the total number of Open Defecation Free Local Government Areas in Nigeria to 117.
He outlined the other ODF Local Government Areas as follows; Jigawa State, the first Open Defecation Free State (27 LGAs); Anambra (3); Akwa-Ibom (1); Bauchi (7); Benue (9); Borno (2); Cross River (6); Kano (11 + 7 = 18); Kaduna (7); Katsina (25 + 2 = 27); Osun (1); Yobe (1); Zamfara (3); and Imo (1) LGAs respectively.
