Government, stakeholders and the citizens have been charged to join hands and step up efforts at ending open defecation and eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Nigeria.
The Senior Director Investor Relations and Sustainability of the END Fund, Oyetola Oduyemi who gave the charge said apart from the health benefits of eliminating the scourge and the diseases, Nigeria also stands to gain 18.9 billion dollars by 2030.
This came as the Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, (WASH) United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria, Jane Bevan decried that many lives are lost to open defecation and NTDs, stressing the need for all Nigerians to work together to eliminate them.
They spoke at an interactive panel discussion alongside other experts in Lagos, at a 2-day media dialogue on "Ending Open Defecation in Nigeria and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)" organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Oyo Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency.
While calling for more partners to come on board to work with the government and the private sector, the END Fund director said, "If we are able to eliminate the diseases and have such huge amount of money, it will do a lot for us as a country. We all have a part to play".
She urged the people to have a change of behaviour by practicing good hygiene by washing hands, drinking safe water and have good toilet.
"NTDs are infectious but they are not death sentence as they can be prevented, treated and eliminated. People must be aware of this, be informed and have the understanding of what to do, then we will be able to reduce the number to ground zero," Oduyemi said.
Bevan who disclosed that UNICEF is working closely with the government in several states to make real difference, said political will is needed to tackle open defecation.
"We need strong commitment on the part of the government and the stakeholders to achieve this in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
"We really need to work together. All of the government partners, the private sector, all the states and the local government areas across the country must work together to really stop open defecation.
"This is because it is killing so many children and people are dying unnecessarily. Many of the NTDs are transmitted from water and poor sanitation. For example, polio is particularly a big issue that is always endemic in the country and in the ground. So if we all not practice safe sanitation and safe hygiene, there is a risk that we will all get, more of NTDs.
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"The simple preventative measures such as using the toilet, washing our hands and others can really make a huge difference."
For her part, Mrs Chizoma Opara of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and Coordinator, Clean Nigeria Campaign, some of the challenges against eradicating open defecation include infrastructure deficit, she added that over 20 million public and private toilets still needed to be constructed as well as huge funding gap of about $10 billion annual investment.
Another UNICEF WASH expert, Mr Monday Johnson said Nigeria has the highest NTD burden in Africa, with more than 200 million people at risk for at least one NTD.
"The country is endemic for all five NTDs targeted by USAID's Act to End NTDs | East program - lymphatic filariasis (LF), onchocerciasis, trachoma, schistosomiasis, and transmitted helminth infections. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are critical in the prevention and care for all of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)," he said.
The Chief Corporate Services Officer, IHS Nigeria, Mr Dare Oduluyi, noted that the problems of open defecation have been identified, stressing that the private sector has the funding to meet both the business needs while also satisfying the social needs.
"Let there be a framework that will clearly spelt out on the roles of the private sector in terms of open defecation elimination which has to do with their leveraging on huge market, available opportunities and prospects in sanitation in Nigeria to ensure that they both achieve their business goal which is profit making, and also fulfill their corporate social responsibility as well as satisfying social needs".
