Abuja – The UNICEF says an estimated 33 million Nigerians still practice open defecation in different parts of the country.

Dr Suomi Sakai, UNICEF’s Country Representative and Chief Ambassador, said this at the commemoration of the World Sanitation Day on Tuesday in Abuja.

“The most worrisome of all the unsanitary practices is the high rate of open defecation practice in the country.

“It is estimated that about 33 million Nigerians defecate in the open, depositing about 1.7m tonnes of faeces into the environment annually,’’ she said.

Sakai said that the development had resulted in a high level of contamination of the environment in which garbage and faeces often find their way into water resources.

She stressed the need for awareness creation among the populace and the imperative of imbibing sanitary practices for improved health and socio-economic well-being of the citizenry.

The Chief Ambassador, however, commended the Federal Ministry of Environment for providing a viable platform for discussing and analysing environmental sanitation issues for sustainable development.

According to her, the occasion provides an opportunity for the review of commitment and support to improve the status of environmental sanitation in the country.

She said that the theme of the celebration which is “Cleanliness: Gateway to Healthy Living,’’ was timely and appropriate, considering the present poor environmental sanitation practices and its consequences on the life of the people.

She maintained that high morbidity and mortality rates in the country, prompted by cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid, all sanitation-related diseases, were consequences of poor sanitation and hygiene practice.

“Children under five are the most vulnerable to the effects of poor sanitation and hygiene in the country.

“ It is estimated that that nearly 200,000 children under five years die annually due to diarrhoea while respiratory infections kill another 240,000 young children every year,’’ she added.

Sakai explained that improving the disposal of human excreta and stopping open defecation could reduce illnesses by 34 per cent, stressing that when combined with hand washing, the impact could be doubled.

The Country Representative recalled that the UN General Assembly had passed a resolution urging member countries to redouble efforts to close the sanitation gap.

She said that the resolution tagged, “Sustainable Sanitation: The Five-Year-Drive to 2015’’, would focus on mobilising political will as well as financial and technical resources for achieving the MDG sanitation target.

She said the resolution had also called for an end to open defecation.

Sakai called on the Federal Government to invest in the sanitation sector to improve the economic development of the country. (NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/33m-nigerians-defecate-in-open-places-unicef/

This is preposterous! I am overwhelmed. In as much as this shows the state of the delapidated - wait!- i'll rather say non existent sewage management system, this is the sickest, greenest, most environmentally friendly approach to rejuvenate our dying planet.
Lets go there!! lmao!

27naira:

This is preposterous! I am overwhelmed. In as much as this shows the state of the delapidated - wait!- i'll rather say non existent sewage management system, this is the sickest, greenest, most environmentally friendly approach to rejuvenate our dying planet.
Lets go there!! lmao!

Correct jare. No wonder our land is uber-fertile

we recycle all recyclables That is living green

what

Dat country is still far.

man when shall we stop celebrating bad news.

EWWW - That's gross

Up Nigeria! Giant in all fields!

hehehehehehe i still dey laugh lol

This practice is more common in certain parts of the country than others.

up shi.t. . .

That means say Nigerias sea shore collects millions of m tonnes of 'the thing' every year, Because whether them deposit am for open space oo abi na for inner space fa, all finally end up in the lagoons and rivers . No be small waaah.  we still get am for people wey go dey denge dey pose say them wan go swim for beach.  Make una dey enjoy.

abeg ma una no allow me vomit put for this system,na everything wey una dey talk?u talk poo talk mess talk every every.no be person wey shop dey c poo shit,dem dey shit with empty stomach?

Haba. Dem weigh all the sh1t ?

aparata:

abeg ma una no allow me vomit put for this system,na everything wey una dey talk?u talk poo talk mess talk every every.no be person wey shop dey c poo poo,dem dey poo with empty stomach?

philip0906:

up shi.t. . .

up poopoo  

i still dey

Seun "your head dey there" @this_topic!

@ Euromilion

man when shall we stop celebrating bad news.

EWWW - That's gross

what is bad about d news?

depositing about 1.7m tonnes of open faeces annually

 

DAMN! need we continue to import fertilizers?

common lets make money, this na confirm tourist attraction* open viewing of black man faeces* @ $190  per 30sec

make una see me see wahala.person chop na problem,person no chop them go say hunger dey naija.Oyibo no dey chop as black man dey chop 4 naija.abegi we beg una fertilizer una no bring,abi the poo for better manure no reach?leave us alone abegi.

we can use that to generate Electricity

check out obalende under bridge

vislabraye:

Haba. Dem weigh all the sh1t ?

lol

vislabraye:

Haba. Dem weigh all the sh1t ?

I tire oooo

Na wetin dem take measure am? Poop-ometer?

How did they think the oil formed in the Niger Delta and why is Naija land so fertile? It is simply a result of poop by-product that has collected over the years . Good poop brings wealth.

That's what they called expensive shit

marcar:

we can use that to generate Electricity

Exactly, it is called Poo-fuel

Who say Africans de die of hunger?,Infact na this shit go make dem believe say 9ja de feed well well,this reminds me of those days,if u de go idumota from ojuelegba in the morning u go see those boys wey de sale for go slow,dem go bend yansh de shit  for national theater.lol

Wow, this is an excellent business opportunity for mobile toilets at public locations like motor parks, markets, public schools, public hospitals, airports. * salivating*

A charge of N20 per use will make me a millionaire big time. Nigerians as usual are seeing a problem and talking about it. Very few has thought outside the box on how to profit from this problem

So folks, I would be happy to take your money in exchange for a clean mobile private toilet in a public space

in this age!! oh eyaaa!!
see as typhoid dey kill person, shi.t flowing in to rivers and pple using such water for cooking and drinking and they say why i love my Amerikah huh

SemperFI