Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi, has disclosed that over 3.5 million Nigerian children suffer from diarrhoea due to poor sanitation and many die from the disease every year.
Speaking at an event to mark the 2022 National Environmental Sanitation Day, in Abuja, Abdullahi noted that poor sanitation is responsible for preventable communicable diseases in developing countries such as Nigeria.
The minister said children who are less than 5 years old, are more prone to such diseases.
“large number of children die every year due to sanitation and hygiene enabled diseases. In Nigeria, more than 3.5 million children suffer from diarrhoea diseases and this is not a small figure. Children, who are less than 5 years old, are more prone to such diseases,” he said.
According to the minister, the 2022 National Environmental Sanitation Day, was a ‘National advocacy day dedicated to increase awareness and understanding on the importance of sanitation and hygiene as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases, save lives and ensure effective, and quality sanitation delivery services; as well as meeting Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, 3 and 6 by 2030.
Speaking on the theme of the celebration which was “Clean Environment is a Healthy Environment: Get Involved,” he noted that sanitation and hygiene play a critical role in preventing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid fever, Lassa Fever, COVID-19 virus, Monkey pox virus, among others.
He said it was a clarion call for every one to work together and leverage on lessons learned from response to COVID-19 to address the neglect of Sanitation and hygiene as a major means of preventing disease transmission.
Recall that the National Environmental Sanitation Day was established by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 during the launch of the National Environmental Sanitation Policy documents and its’ guidelines to be commemorated on 27th June every year.
Abdullahi therefore called on all Nigerians, especially those in places of authority, public or private to ensure adequate provision for Sanitation and Hygiene,” he said.
He said emerging and re-emerging diseases such as COVID-19, Lassa Fever, Monkey pox, Cholera in Nigeria have further underscored the fact that access to sanitation and hygiene is not only a fundamental human right that safeguards public health and human dignity, but also an essential need when it comes to disease prevention.
“This year’s National Environmental Sanitation Day therefore calls on individuals, communities, government at all levels to be involved in the planning and implementation of sanitation and hygiene activity within their immediate environment and community,” he said.
He added that the Ministry with other Stakeholders had validated the National Environmental Sanitation Policy of 2005 and its guidelines on Pest and Vector Control, School Sanitation, Market and Abattoir Sanitation, Sanitary Inspection of Premises, Solid Waste Management and Safe excreta and sewage disposal: construction of public toilets in public places,, Schools and markets.
“Finally, let me reiterate that the National Environmental Sanitation Day is more than just a day; Sanitation and hygiene should become an integral part of our everyday life.
“I therefore urge all media organizations to join the Federal Ministry of Environment and other stakeholders as partners in progress in propagating Sanitation and hygiene practices to the general public, children, families, communities, associations etc. as one of the measures to reduce the country’s disease burden,” he said.