Despite the 2025 deadline to end open defecation, 48 million Nigerians are still neck-deep in the practice. While the federal government struggles to make some impact, subnational governments are failing to take ownership of the fight. AMEH OCHOJILA reports that Nigeria setting a fresh target of 2030 would not count if all hands are not on deck.

Nigeria initially set 2025 to become open defecation-free, but two months into the year presently, that feat seems unattainable. No thanks to factors like inadequate funding, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and a lack of commitment from subnational governments, which are hampering what should be a smooth sail.

Despite significant policy initiatives, political declarations, and financial commitments, the country still faces a daunting sanitation crisis, with over 46 million Nigerians still lacking access to basic toilet facilities.

At the heart of the challenge is the staggering financial requirement to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).

According to Jane Bevan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Chief of WASH, Nigeria needs to invest 1.30 per cent of its GDP yearly, equivalent to $5.3 billion (N1.9 trillion)—to achieve the SDG sanitation targets by 2030.

However, the country’s official roadmap for eliminating open defecation, titled Making Nigeria Open-Defecation-Free by 2025: A National Road Map, estimates that N959 billion is needed to meet the 2025 target, with households expected to bear N725 billion of the cost. The remaining N234 billion is designated for public and institutional sanitation infrastructure.

The roadmap outlined a structured timeline: a preparatory phase from 2016 to 2017, an assessment period in 2018, consolidation efforts from 2019 to 2021, a self-evaluation in 2022, and finally, an aggressive push from 2023 to 2025.

Yet, rather than speedy success, the country appears to be making very slow progress with only 142 local government areas open and defecation-free, according to information from the Ministry of Water Resources.

While a UNICEF report revealed that 46 million Nigerians in 2019, to 48 million in 2021 were still engaged in open defecation, the country needs to build at least 3.9 million toilets to reverse this trend. That objective seems increasingly unattainable given current efforts and realities.

The urgency to tackle open defecation gained traction during the President Muhammadu Buhari–led administration as he declared a state of emergency on the issue, and signed Executive Order 009, The Open Defecation-Free Nigeria by 2025, and Other Related Matters Order.

This directive led to the establishment of the Clean Nigeria Secretariat, tasked with spearheading the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign, inspired by India’s successful Swachh Bharat Mission.

This traction was reinvigorated with the new initiative by President Bola Tinubu-led government, a renewed plan to end open defecation, known as the Clean Nigeria Campaign Strategy Plan.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, described the Clean Nigeria Campaign Strategic Plan as a comprehensive roadmap for achieving universal access to sanitation by 2030, requiring strong collaboration from state and local councils, international organisations, private sector partners, civil society organisations, the media, and the general public.

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, in launching the campaigns, implored governors of the 36 states to double efforts in the ongoing campaign to ensure Nigeria is open defecation-free in the next five years.

According to him, the importance of the campaign cannot be overemphasised, as every step taken towards ending open defecation will improve health, boost productivity, and enhance the dignity and safety of Nigerians.

The vice president made the call during the fifth anniversary of the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign where he also formally launched the Strategic Plan at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Shettima who was represented at the event by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, urged state governments to be deliberate in mobilising “high-level political support that would drive the campaign, especially at the sub-national level.”

The VP stated: “It is against this background that the need to re-strategise the critical elements that will progressively increase our level of advocacy and awareness came to be. The new Strategic Plan for the Clean Nigeria Campaign is a comprehensive, actionable framework for Clean Nigeria that will help to actualise the call for reasonable access to the use of a toilet by the year 2030.

“I, therefore, urge state governors to provide the necessary support to drive the campaign at the state and local government areas levels to achieve our target of an Open Defecation Free Nigeria within the next five years.”

Despite this political backing, observers in the sector argue that Nigeria’s approach is still marred by the structural inefficiency needed for success.   Unlike India’s model, which has strong institutional independence, Nigeria’s sanitation campaign is mired in bureaucracy.

One such is a misplacement of the Clean Nigeria Secretariat under any ministry, which has limited its autonomy, making it dependent on the ministry’s bureaucracy and approvals resulting in the slowing down of decision-making processes.

A senior official within the secretariat, who craved anonymity rightly noted this arrangement as “a fundamental flaw” that has impeded the campaign’s effectiveness, calling for liberal operations of the secretariat.

The Minister of State for Environment, Izhaq Adekunle Saleko, recently highlighted that despite the 2025 deadline, 48 million Nigerians—23 per cent of the population—still practice open defecation. Furthermore, the country has a limited number of public toilets, a fraction of what is needed to meet demand.

Conversely, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Utsev, has pointed to progress, noting that significant sanitation facilities have been built in institutions and public places across 127 local councils, and expressed President Tinubu’s commitment to improving the water and sanitation sector.

However, efforts to obtain detailed figures on federal intervention in public toilet construction were met with resistance. The ministry’s Director of Water Quality declined to release statistics.

While the federal government has made efforts, subnational governments have been accused of failing to take ownership of the fight against open defecation. The Ministry of Water Resources has repeatedly called out governors for their reluctance to prioritise sanitation. “Governors are simply not ready to end open defecation despite the federal government’s push,” an official stated during the second national retreat for states on Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet campaign.

Findings from the ministry indicate that while past administrations frequently launched campaigns, the state often lacks the commitment to sustain them. Initiatives tend to fizzle out due to poor funding, weak enforcement mechanisms, and a lack of behavioural change strategies tailored to different communities.

Dr Joy Aderele, Country Director of Self Help Africa (SHA), an organisation working on sanitation and hygiene, stressed the need for expanded funding and deeper collaboration among stakeholders.

At an event marking SHA’s 25th anniversary in Abuja, she called for decentralising sanitation campaigns and giving states more autonomy in implementing targeted solutions. SHA’s WASH System for Health program aims to address this by localising sanitation efforts.

One of the critical aspects of tackling open defecation is influencing behavioural change. Behavioural communication strategist Tony Ochela, argues that Nigeria’s campaign strategy lacks regular review and adjustment to ensure its effectiveness. “A campaign strategy of this magnitude should be reviewed quarterly, not just a year before the target deadline,” Ochela noted.

The founder of the World Toilet Organisation, Jack Sim, believes Nigeria can take lessons from India’s Clean India Mission, which leveraged Bollywood celebrities to promote toilet use through movies.

Sim also pointed to successful sanitation reforms in Brazil and China. Brazil’s privatisation of sewage treatment plants attracted $14 billion in investment, significantly improving sanitation in low-income areas.

Meanwhile, China transformed its notoriously unhygienic public toilet system over 15 years, boosting its tourism industry.

Realising that the 2025 goal is unattainable, the federal government has now shifted its target to 2030. At a two-day workshop in Nasarawa State, the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation announced a new timeline and a strategy to involve youth in driving sanitation efforts.

The workshop, organised in collaboration with Self Help Africa, focused on leveraging the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to enhance community-level sanitation practices.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Utsev, through the Permanent Secretary, Richard Pheelangwah, emphasised the importance of engaging young people in achieving Nigeria’s sanitation goals. “Through their Community Development Service activities, corps members can trigger a sanitation revolution,” he stated.

Utsev outlined several ongoing initiatives, including the Partnership for Expanded Water Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH), Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH), and the YouthWASH programme. These programmes aim to accelerate sanitation efforts by integrating youth and community leaders into implementation frameworks.

The National Coordinator of the Clean Nigeria Campaign, Chizoma Opara, admitted that while some progress has been made—Jigawa State and 136 LGAs have been declared Open Defecation Free—the overall pace has been too slow, expressing commitment to step new strategies.

“Achieving the revised 2030 target will require stronger collaboration, greater political commitment from state governments, and increased private sector involvement,” she said.

The NYSC’s Deputy Director of Education, Mrs Funmilayo Ajayi, assured that the corps would intensify advocacy efforts.

“CDS officers will drive grassroots engagement to encourage the adoption of toilets and improved sanitation practices,” she stated.

With Nigeria now setting its fresh target on 2030, the question remains whether the government and stakeholders can muster the commitment needed to accelerate progress.

The revised deadline provides an opportunity to reassess strategies, strengthen public-private partnerships, and ensure accountability in the implementation of sanitation programmes.

Experts argue that achieving a defecation-free Nigeria hinges on a multifaceted approach that prioritises increased investment in sanitation infrastructure across all levels of government.

Without sustained financial commitment, efforts to build and maintain adequate toilet facilities will remain insufficient.

Equally crucial is stronger political will, particularly from state governments, which must take ownership of sanitation initiatives rather than relying solely on federal interventions.

Beyond policy and funding, behavioural change communication is essential in shifting deep-seated cultural attitudes toward toilet use, ensuring that sanitation becomes a priority at both individual and community levels.

The private sector also has a critical role to play in providing affordable and accessible sanitation solutions, bridging the gap between policy aspirations and practical implementation.

Furthermore, community-driven initiatives, with active involvement from youth and local leaders, can accelerate progress by fostering grassroots campaign ownership against open defecation.

According to experts, if these measures are effectively implemented, Nigeria may still overcome its sanitation crisis and align with the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for hygiene and sanitation by 2030.