After emerging as number one in the world ranking of open defecation nations, experts have disclosed that Nigeria needs at least 9.5 million toilets to liberate itself in the next five years.
While addressing a technical session at the 26th National Council on Water Resources on Wednesday in Minna, Niger State, the Managing Partner/Chief Executive Officer of Mangrove and Partners Limited, Timeyin Uwejamomere, said the establishment of these toilets will help to restore good health and free people from various illnesses.
Uwejamomere said: “Nigeria needs to build about two million toilets every year for the next five years, which means about 10,000 toilets everyday for improved sanitation and proper hygiene.
“In all, in the next five years, we need nothing less than 9.5 million toilets and about 10,000 sewage treatment plants across the country.”
Speaking on the theme of the event: “Water, Sanitation and Job creation,” Uwejamomere said: “We can keep Nigeria clean and use toilet campaign to improve hygiene.”
Speaking with newsmen, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Comfort Ekaro, said the Federal Government wants everyone to be involved in building toilets.
According to Ekaro: “Sanitation and hygiene is part and topmost in our agenda at this event because we have launched an action against open defecation.
“Building of toilets, especially public toilets, is what we want everybody to participate fully because we want that negative title as number one globally in open defecation out.
“We can do it in the next few years.”
The Niger State Commissioner for Water Resources, Yusuf Sulaiman, said: “Plans are on to ensure that we make open defecation reduced substantially and we are going to establish public toilets across the state.”
While calling on participants to deliberate on issues and proffer solutions to the them so as to improve water supply in the country, Sulaiman said: “There is the need to find sustainable ways of funding water projects.”
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