As part of efforts towards putting an end to open defecation, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development says it will ensure Nigerians practice the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ policy.

Sports minister Sunday Dare said this in Abuja when water resources minister Suleiman Adamu paid him a courtesy visit.

“My ministry will continue to collaborate with relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as well as other stakeholders in line with the commitment of the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ campaign,” Mr Dare said in a statement. “The campaign was launched by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration in 2019.”

According to the sports minister, Nigeria is ranked second among the nations in the world, with the highest number of people, estimated at over 48 million, defecating in the open.

“The practice has had a negative effect on the populace and has therefore contributed to the country’s inability to meet up with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said.

The sports minister added that the abysmal ranking prompted Mr Buhari to describe the statistics on open defecation and access to pipe-borne water services and sanitation as disturbing.

He said the situation made the president declare his commitment to implementing the National Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Action Plan in consonance with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Charter.

Mr Dare stated that his ministry, in 2021, held a nationwide sensitisation programme tagged ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’, carried out through lectures and training.

(NAN)