Only 18% of Nigerians have access to safely managed sanitation – Minister

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, has said that only 18 per cent of Nigerians have access to safely managed sanitation, noting that about a quarter of Nigerians still defecate openly. The minister who spoke on Tuesday while declaring open a workshop on safely managed sanitation in Nigeria, noted with worry that […]

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, has said that only 18 per cent of Nigerians have access to safely managed sanitation, noting that about a quarter of Nigerians still defecate openly.

The minister who spoke on Tuesday while declaring open a workshop on safely managed sanitation in Nigeria, noted with worry that although at least 46 per cent of Nigerians had access to sanitation, many Nigerians’ attitude to sanitation was still worrisome even among those with access to sanitation facilities.

The Director of Quality Control and Sanitation in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Ms Elizabeth, said resolutions from the workshop would be used to address most challenges against a safe sanitation system which would in turn ensure a quality health system.

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City & Crime reports that there were goodwill messages from development partners like the World Health Organisation (WHO), Unicef and WaterAid, all stressing the need for Nigeria to step up action on sanitation and ensure the attainment of SDG 6.