In this special report, YVONNE ISHOLA highlights the disturbing persistence of open defecation and the inadequacy of toilet facilities across Nigeria, despite government campaigns for an Open Defecation Free (ODF) society. Drawing on voices from Plateau State, Abuja, Nasarawa and beyond, the report exposes the cultural practices, infrastructural failures and negligence that continue to make the problem a grave public health concern
Culture, tradition and open defecation
For some time now, the Federal Government has been drumming about an Open Defecation Free society and advocating against open defecation and its menace because it has become a disturbing public health concern, with about 48 million people practising it, according to records, leading to severe health and environmental consequences.
“The practice is very popular in the rural areas due to the culture in some of our traditions which promote the belief a man should not defecate in a confined environment like a toilet. As such, men in my village go out to the bush at first light to defecate under the covering of the dark,” stated Cecilia Ibrahim, who resides in Kalong, Shendam LGC.
“This is not the issue of poverty, as it is believed, though that’s the reason some households don’t have toilet facilities. It is the fact that tradition forbids the man to share the common toilet serving his whole household,” Ibrahim explained.
Inadequate, filthy public toilets
“One of the commonest issues is inadequate provision of toilet facilities in public spaces like markets, schools, offices, motor parks, and as such, the available ones are misused by too many people, which at the end of the day become an eyesore because they are filthy,” said Georgeline Zaks, a caterer in Abuja.
She explained that in most public spaces in Abuja, “I have observed that only 2 toilets—for male and female—are provided for hundreds of people that frequent such places on a daily basis, which goes without saying, it’s a recipe for filthy toilets.”
Corroborating this view, Mallam Aliyu of One Man Village, Nasarawa State, said: “I can’t use our toilet, a shared toilet in the compound I live in with my family of four, because this one toilet serves about 25 people. It stinks and is filthy because some of the tenants misuse it and it often blocks and overflows.”
Asked where he defecates, Aliyu said the bush is his favourite spot because “nothing filthy or smelly is around to make me throw up when I come across food.”
At a recent Nigeria Union of Journalists Congress, Plateau State chapter, a member, Mrs Janet Godiya, suggested that government should declare a state of emergency on open defecation.
“In our area in Rayfield, we can’t open our windows for cross ventilation as the back of our house has become a favourite spot for open defecation by neighbours who can’t afford toilet facilities,” she complained.
Health hazards, calls for government action
In a similar situation, Mrs Sase Adem of NEPA, Jos, lamented the inconsiderate nature of neighbours who directed their sewage and other waste pipes directly into a stream serving some members of the community.
“When they flush toilet, the faeces flow directly into the stream and the same with any waste product. Government has to do something fast or this attitude will continue and surely lead to health hazard,” Adem stated.
She also revealed that some families in her community built houses without toilet facilities and resort to defecating with a spade and scooping their excrement over the fence into undeveloped land.
“Because of this practice, the fence is plastered in excrement and looks very ugly. I fear our neighbourhood may suffer the spread of a disease due to this practice and that of our neighbours who flush their toilet straight into the stream,” she pleaded.
Other respondents echoed similar concerns. Esther Oyang of Plateau State Secretariat said: “You can’t believe it that most government offices don’t have functional toilets even here in the secretariat. People have to climb up or go down from third or fourth floor to access a toilet in another section. It is very tiring and exhausting. Government must ensure all toilets in all sections and offices are working.”
Mr Benjamin, who attended a government secondary school in Jos, expressed bitter memories: “One of the reasons why I never liked secondary school was because of the toilet facilities. If I begin to describe our toilets and my experience, it will take the grace of God for you to eat today,” he said, a sentiment corroborated by several students (Paul Ibi, Adamu Abdullahi, Deshi John and Sarah Pam), from schools across Nigeria.
Even hospitals are not spared. According to Mrs Evelyn Attah, when she was admitted into a hospital in Vom, she was unable to use the toilet facilities because “they were very filthy with excrement scattered all around as far as one could see.”
Many respondents concluded that government must take decisive steps if it is serious about achieving an Open Defecation Free society. They suggested that adequate toilets should be provided in public spaces and kept clean, while laws must compel house owners, schools, offices and hospitals to provide proper facilities. Offenders, they insisted, must face the full wrath of the law.
REALITY BITES
Plateau mothers, stakeholders embrace complementary feeding ahead SQ-LNS rollout
By PALANG KASMI
As Plateau State prepares to receive 5,600 cartons of Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) on September 1, 2025, to boost complementary feeding for children aged 6–23 months and prevent malnutrition, mothers, fathers, community leaders, local governments, the media and other stakeholders have been urged to key into the process.
The urgency is clear. According to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, two out of every three children in Plateau State suffer from food poverty and lack access to the minimum dietary diversity needed for proper growth.
“The importance of a child’s physical and mental development is within 6–23 months, in the first 1,000 days of life. Adequate, healthy nutrition is a basic necessity to enable the child to reach full potential,” said Philomena Irene, a Nutrition Specialist with UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office, during a two-day media dialogue in Jos, organised by UNICEF and the Plateau State Government.
She explained that to remedy poor child nutrition indices, government and UNICEF, through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), had in 2024 jointly invested $200,000 to purchase 5,900 cartons of SQ-LNS, a highly nutritious supplement made from milk and groundnuts, to enrich the diets of children introduced to complementary feeding.
Riyom mothers share their experiences
A visit to Riyom LGA revealed that many mothers were already showing commitment to complementary feeding using local foods.
Chung Simi Dapam from Dabwat community said she practised six months of exclusive breastfeeding as advised by health workers, a decision she described as life-changing.
“This month, in August 2025, my son turned six months, so I prepared gurel (kunu) with grains, tamba, groundnut, guinea corn, and acha, which I have been feeding him with,” she disclosed.
Similarly, Grace Jah Mwadvan, a 32-year-old farmer, said she introduced her baby to complementary foods at six months.
Said she: “I started giving him gurel made from guinea corn, acha, and groundnut. I wash, dry, and grind the grains. If millers are not available, I pound it myself. I began with liquids, then gradually moved to solid foods.”
Grace added: “My baby has never been sick or hospitalised. He is very active and healthy because of the care we give him, with full support from my husband, who is also a health worker.”
For Mrs. Dalyop Chundung Dachung from Rahoss village, exclusive breastfeeding for her son Jake brought “pure joy” because he has never fallen ill.
“Although exclusive breastfeeding is so tasking, requiring effort, time and patience, it is very good for the child,” she said, adding that she later introduced cereals, Irish potato, eggs, fish and crayfish into his diet when he reached six months.
Fathers, community leaders key in
Fathers in Riyom are also increasingly embracing their role in child nutrition. Gyang Gere, Ward Development Committee Chairman of Riyom LGA and a PHC worker, emphasised the importance of male involvement: “In the past, traditional education discouraged exclusive breastfeeding. But now, with more awareness, we as men in Riyom support and guide women. Nutrition is not only about women; men must also participate.”
He added that good nutrition keeps children healthy and reduces cases of preventable sickness: “I told my son to get vegetables, fats, protein, and other foods for the baby when his mother went to the farm. These little steps matter.”
Health workers also continue to reinforce the message. Damaris Samuel Azi, Officer in Charge of PHC Dabwat, explained: “We demonstrate to mothers how to hold babies properly during breastfeeding, advise on exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and guide them on complementary feeding with local grains like acha and tamba. We discourage sugary snacks and encourage adding groundnut, soybeans, crayfish, or awara to meals.”
A worrisome statistic, a call to action
Despite these encouraging practices, the statistics remain alarming.
“Children in Plateau State are suffering from food poverty, yet the state is regarded as one of the nation’s food baskets,” Irene said, calling on all stakeholders to support the upcoming SQ-LNS distribution across health facilities. She reminded the public that SQ-LNS is a supplement, not a substitute, and warned against misuse by adults.
UNICEF figures show that only 23 percent of children in Plateau consume minimum dietary diversity, while only 56 percent receive vitamin A supplements. Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) affects 5,800 children in the state, according to the 2023 NDHS survey. Insecurity worsens the problem in rural LGAs, where vaccination and nutrition services often require armed escorts.
On the government’s part, Mr. Silas Nansel, Deputy Director and Nutrition Officer at the Plateau State Primary Healthcare Board (PSPHB), said the state had procured 5,600 cartons of SQ-LNS.
“Distribution begins on September 1, 2025, with 30 packs to be given per child monthly. SQ-LNS will be totally free, alongside multiple micronutrients. We have trained PHC workers across the state, but sustainability depends on community ownership,” he stated.
As Plateau State counts down to the SQ-LNS rollout, mothers, fathers and health stakeholders are proving that local complementary feeding practices, when combined with life-saving nutrition supplements, can provide a powerful response to the scourge of child malnutrition.