The Federal Government has called for intensified efforts to end the global sanitation crisis, with about 4.5 billion people lacking access to safely managed sanitation and 892 million still practising open defecation.
Balarabe Lawal, Minister of Environment, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at a ministerial news conference to mark World Toilet Day 2026.
Lawal, represented by Omotunde Adeola, Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health in the ministry, said inadequate sanitation remained a major public health and environmental challenge in Nigeria.
He said this year’s theme, “Sanitation and Gender Equality”, with the tagline “Safe Toilets. Equal Futures”, highlighted the importance of secure toilets, access to soap and water, and adequate menstrual hygiene facilities.
The minister said the global statistics underscored the urgency of accelerating efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to clean water and sanitation, gender equality, and good health.
He identified markets, motor parks, schools and communities as places where adequate, functional toilet facilities were still lacking, contributing to open defecation and environmental pollution.
Lawal said poor sanitation could contaminate food and water sources and increase the spread of diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to ending open defecation and promoting gender equality through improved access to safe, dignified and sustainable sanitation facilities.
According to him, safe sanitation was essential to protecting the health, safety and dignity of women and girls, while supporting their participation in education, employment and public life.
He said women, girls, children, older people and persons with disabilities were particularly affected by inadequate sanitation facilities.
The minister stressed that no child should miss school because of poor toilet facilities and no woman or girl should have to compromise her safety and dignity because of inadequate sanitation.
To address these challenges, Lawal said the ministry was working with relevant ministries, state governments and development partners to promote safe excreta disposal and improve sanitation nationwide.
He said interventions included training Environmental Health Officers in faecal sludge management and toilet design, as well as integrating sanitation into climate adaptation and circular economy initiatives.
Other efforts included the Clean and Green Programme, the Community-Based Waste Management and Open Defecation Control Programme, and partnerships with private sector operators to provide environmentally friendly sanitation facilities.
He said the campaign would engage residents, traders, food vendors and other community members on proper sanitation, hand hygiene and safe waste disposal through discussions, health talks and practical demonstrations.
The minister announced plans to convene a National Dialogue on Faecal Sludge Management on Nov. 23, involving seven selected states across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the dialogue would allow participating states to share experiences, assess challenges and interventions, and develop practical recommendations for sanitation planning, implementation and monitoring.
Lawal also announced a community engagement and awareness campaign at Kpadna Community, Utako, Abuja, on Nov. 19, as part of the commemoration.
He added that World Toilet Day would be marked simultaneously across all states through community awareness activities, advocacy campaigns and sanitary inspections of public places.
The minister called on state and local governments to strengthen faecal sludge and wastewater management through environmentally sound collection, transportation, treatment, disposal and reuse systems.
He urged households and communities to practise proper toilet use, personal hygiene, handwashing and environmental cleanliness, and called on private investors to support affordable sanitation technologies.
He also urged development partners, non-governmental organisations and civil society groups to sustain advocacy, public education and infrastructure development, particularly in underserved and vulnerable communities.
Dr Salihu Usman, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the UN General Assembly designated Nov. 19 as World Toilet Day in 2013 to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis and promote action towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.
Usman, represented by Rita Okea, Deputy Director and Head of Pollution Control and Environmental Health in the ministry, said access to adequate sanitation remained a major challenge globally and in Nigeria.
He said the challenges disproportionately affected women and girls, particularly in schools, workplaces, public spaces and underserved communities.
Okea said the absence of safe, accessible and private toilets could compromise women’s and girls’ health, safety and dignity, as well as their participation in everyday activities.
She urged journalists to amplify the message that safe and inclusive sanitation was fundamental to gender equality, public health and sustainable development.
The 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey found that 20 per cent of Nigeria’s household population practised open defecation, while 49 per cent used at least basic sanitation services.
The survey also revealed a disparity between urban and rural areas: 63 per cent of the urban population used at least basic sanitation services, compared with 38 per cent of the rural population.
World Toilet Day is observed annually on Nov. 19 to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis and mobilise action to ensure access to safe toilets and sanitation for all.
The World Toilet Organisation initiated the observance in 2001. The UN General Assembly officially designated Nov. 19 as World Toilet Day in 2013 through Resolution 67/291.
The annual observance promotes efforts to end open defecation, improve hygiene and expand access to safe and adequate sanitation facilities.
