Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to improving access to safe and inclusive sanitation facilities across the country, particularly for women and girls, as part of efforts to end open defecation and strengthen public health.
The Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during a ministerial press briefing to commemorate the 2026 World Toilet Day.
Lawal, who was represented by the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Mrs Omotunde Adeola, said inadequate sanitation remained a major public health and environmental challenge in Nigeria.
He disclosed that access to improved sanitation remained below 36 per cent for a significant proportion of the population, while many public places, including markets, motor parks and schools, lacked adequate toilet facilities.
He said the situation exposed citizens to sanitation-related diseases such as cholera and typhoid, while disproportionately affecting women, girls, children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
With the theme, “Sanitation and Gender Equality” and the tagline “Safe Toilets. Equal Futures,” the minister stressed that access to safe toilets, clean water and menstrual hygiene facilities was essential to protecting the dignity, health and security of women and girls.
He listed the ministry’s interventions to include capacity building for environmental health officers, the Clean and Green Programme, community-based waste management and open defecation control initiatives, as well as partnerships with the private sector to provide sustainable sanitation facilities.
The minister also announced plans for community sensitisation activities at Kpadna Community, Utako, Abuja, on November 19, alongside a National Dialogue on Faecal Sludge Management scheduled for November 23, involving selected states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He called on state and local governments, communities, private sector operators and development partners to strengthen sanitation management and invest in affordable and environmentally friendly toilet facilities.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, represented by the Deputy Director and Head of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Mrs Rita Okea, said the annual World Toilet Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013, was aimed at raising awareness of the global sanitation crisis and accelerating action towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.
Okea said the theme of the 2026 commemoration highlighted the connection between adequate sanitation and gender equality, noting that the absence of safe and private toilet facilities could undermine the health, safety and participation of women and girls in everyday activities.
She called for stronger collaboration among governments, development partners, the private sector and communities to address sanitation challenges and accelerate efforts to end open defecation in Nigeria.
She also urged the media to sustain public awareness and amplify messages on safe and inclusive sanitation.
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