Ahead of plans by the Federal Government to launch the International Year of Sanitation, the United Nations Children�s Fund has disclosed that more than 60 per cent of Nigerians do not have access to improved sanitation facilities.
UNICEF�s Country Representative in Nigeria , Mr. Ayalew Abai, stated this on Thursday when he met with the Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Halima Tayo Alao, in Abuja .
According to him, the benefits of good sanitation far outweigh the costs, including health care costs and lost productivity.
He said, �In Nigeria, it is estimated that over 10 million productive days would be gained if access to both water and sanitation rise to 100 per cent.�
He added that the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to basic sanitation was far from being met.
�In Nigeria , this means 70 per cent of the citizens must have access by the year 2015. Currently, the country is not on track to meet this target,� he said..
He noted that an estimated additional 62 million Nigerians must gain access to basic sanitation from now until 2015, adding that if Nigeria does not meet the MDG sanitation target, neither will Africa as a whole.
Abai noted that sanitation encompassed a wide range of challenges, including excreta disposal, hygiene, solid waste or garbage disposal, and drainage among others.
He said, �Lack of access to basic sanitation facilities, coupled with poor hygiene practices causes diarrhoea.�