FeatiThe Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation of Nigeria’s Ministry of Water Resources, Mr. Samuel Ome, says that basic access to sanitation in Nigeria still stands at 41 percent coverage.Ome told journalists on Saturday in Abuja that more than 33 million people practise open defecation in Nigeria.
Ome, who is also the Chairman, National Task Group on Sanitation, lamented that open defecation was still a big challenge in the country.
He said many urban settlements lacked hygiene facilities, resulting in open defecation, which posed a threat to life as faeces are washed into drinking water sources.
Ome stressed the need for attitudinal change to reduce water-borne diseases.
According to him, it is important that Nigerians cultivate clean habits, pointing out that good hygiene, often termed as ‘a personal thing,’ should reflect in the life of Nigerians.
“Sanitation starts with the individual; those things you do involuntarily become your attitude. You wake up in the morning, you use the toilet, you flush the toilet, you brush your teeth, you wash your body before going to work; nobody prompts you to do it, you do it voluntarily.
“In a sense, sanitation is personal; those personal things you do and the attitude you cultivate to improve your cleanliness, sanitation starts from the family point.
“The garbage you bring out must be disposed of properly. Sanitation has a huge role to play in the family, community and to the nation,” Ome said.