World Toilet Day: 52% Nigerian Schools Without Toilets

Do you know that decent toilet is a basic human right? But 1 in 3 people around the world still lives without one.

According to statistics from WaterAid Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisation, 52 percent of schools in Nigeria lack access to decent toilets, therefore, leaving the students with no option than to practice open defecation.

This mean that human faeces is not being captured or treated thereby turning our environment into an open sewer which contaminates the water and soil that sustains human life.

World Toilet Day, celebrated on 19th November, since 2013 as part of the Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 6 “sanitation and water” is focused on taking action to ensure that everyone has a safe toilet by 2030.

This year’s campaign is based on the narrative: “When nature calls”. However, the big question is how prepared is Nigeria towards achieving this goal?

In response to this question on the organisation’s website, WaterAid said, “We are working with the government as it renews its efforts to reach the people who are most in need of these essential services.

“59 million people don’t have clean water, which is one in every three people.

“123 million people don’t have a decent toilet, which is seven in 10 people, who are more likely to be ill, more often.

“52% of schools fail to provide students with adequate toilets, contributing to a national water and sanitation crisis that kills 59,600 children every year,” it said.

The NGO further revealed that the present administration has declared a state of emergency on water and sanitation in the country as the President, Muhammadu Buhari launched a high-profile action plan to fix the crises.