WorldStage Newsonline– Nigeria’s National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), has declared 12 new Local Government Areas(LGAs) open defecation free.
This new record brings the total number of open defecation free Local Government Areas in Nigeria to a total of 117.
According to Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Utsev, the 12 additional ODF Local Government Areas are; 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 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.
NTGS, is a Multi Sectoral Platform involving Line Ministries, Agencies, NGO Network and the Media, gave the decleartion , during their monthly meeting held, in Abuja.
Meanwhile, the 2021 Water Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM 2021) report, shows that 48 million people practice open defecation including 18 million children. Nigeria has been
Nigeria has been top 5 open defecators in the world for the past 15 years, moving from 5th place in 2003, 2nd place in 2015 and now 1st place in 2023 with the eradication of open defecation in India in 20v19.v
The Largest number of open defecators globally according to the United Nations Children’s Fund and World Health Organization(UNICEF/WHO) Joint Monitoring Programme(JMP) are Nigeria 47 million, Ethiopia 20 million, Indonesia 17 million, Pakistan 16 million and Niger 16 million
