Male & Female Toilets. (Source: CDC.gov)
Nigeria is facing a severe sanitation crisis. According to a recent report, 69% of the population in Nigeria is reported to be deprived in terms of access to sanitary facilities. This is a dire situation that needs to be addressed urgently. When people do not have access to adequate sanitation, they are more likely to resort to open defecation, and in Nigeria's case, it saw it being crowned as the open defecation capital of the world in 2019.
This bring with itself challenges that can lead to health problems, such as the spread of disease, and environmental pollution. Additionally, the lack of sanitation facilities can also be a barrier to education, as girls may drop out of school when they reach puberty if there are no toilets or private facilities for them to use. This is one of the reasons why many organizations work to improve access to sanitation in developing countries.
One of the regions that is particularly affected by this crisis is the South East. In states such as Abia, Anambra, and Ebonyi, the percentage of households that are deprived of sanitary facilities is 67%, 56%, and 87% respectively. These numbers are alarmingly high and indicate the extent of the problem in the region.
Another region that is affected by this crisis is the South South. States such as Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers have percentages of households that are deprived of sanitary facilities ranging from 70% to 95%. These numbers are also very high and indicate that the problem is not limited to just one region of the country.
In contrast, the region with the lowest percentage of households that are deprived of sanitary facilities is the South West. Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, has the lowest percentage at 28%. Other states in the region such as Ogun, Osun and Ondo have percentages of 31%, 65% and 66% respectively. These numbers are still high, but they are lower than the other regions mentioned above.
It is also worth noting that the North Central region, which includes the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja, has a percentage of 63% of households that are deprived of sanitary facilities. This is an indication that the problem is not limited to rural areas, but also affects urban areas.