In its bid to curtail emerging and re-emerging diseases, the Federal Government has pledged to prioritise sanitation, hygiene and eliminate open defecation in the country.
Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, who stated this at the ceremony to commemorate 2025 National Environmental Sanitation Day in Lafia, Nasarawa State, observed that poor sanitation has severe consequences, such as increased disease burden, economic losses, water and soil contamination, as well as long-term environmental degradation, and undermines public health and sustainable development.
Lawal emphasised that the emergence of diseases like COVID-19, cholera, monkeypox, yellow fever, and dengue fever highlights the critical role of sanitation and hygiene in the prevention and control of disease outbreaks.
“Across our communities, we’ll continue to face the challenges of preventable diseases, like typhoid, diarrhoea, and malaria—ailments that thrive in the conditions of poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene”
He, therefore, said that a large number of children die yearly due to sanitation and hygiene-related diseases, and more than 3.5 million children suffer from diarrhoea-related diseases in Nigeria.
Lawal decried the use of unhealthy sanitary facilities, noting that improper sewage systems can contaminate water sources, soil, and air, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
“To promote healthy hygiene practices in the country, the ministry, in collaboration with key stakeholders, reviewed and updated the 2005 National Environmental Sanitation Policy and its implementation Guidelines, obtained Federal Executive Council approval for the National Solid Waste Management Policy, and launched the National Policy for Antimicrobial Resistance for the Environment Sector.
“This will ensure the construction of public toilets across the nation to curb the open defecation menace and ongoing awareness creation and sensitisation on the dangers of open defecation, among others,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to commit to proper waste disposal, avoid indiscriminate dumping of cabbages, and take ownership of their surroundings and sanitary facilities.
Lawal commended the Nasarawa State government, inter-ministerial committee on NESD, and key stakeholders for their commitment to safe sanitation and hygiene, saying, clean environment is the product of sustained effort, vigilance, and community spirit.
Also, Regional Coordinator of GTFCC Country Support Platform, Lake Chad Hub, Dr Stephen Ohize, pledged his organisation’s support for the government’s cholera control ambitions as outlined in the National Strategic Plan of Action on Cholera Control (NSPACC).
Ohize observed that the Red Cross family will equally share this commitment to advancing sanitation and hygiene as a cornerstone of disease prevention.
The Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr Bahijjatu Abubakar, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to achieving SDGs 3 and 6 by 2030, focusing on good health, well-being, clean water, and sanitation.
Abubakar praised the state government for mobilising stakeholders, community leaders and youth groups to participate in the sanitation campaign, describing it as a step towards a cleaner, healthier environment for all.
