Nigeria’s long road to ending open defecation
Open defecation remains one of Nigeria’s most persistent public health and development problems. It affects water quality, exposes children to preventable diseases, increases the risk of violence and indignity for women and girls, and reflects the wider weakness of sanitation infrastructure in many communities.
The national campaign to end the practice has produced measurable progress. Several local government areas have received open defecation-free certification, while some states have announced statewide achievements. Yet the meaning of “open defecation free” matters: a political declaration, a local government certificate and independent national verification are not always the same thing.
Jigawa remains the clearest national example of a state that has completed the process. Other states, including Ebonyi, have reported major breakthroughs or statewide declarations, but their status should be assessed through the standards used by the National Task Group on Sanitation, not through headlines alone.
Why open defecation remains a national concern
Nigeria’s sanitation crisis is driven by poverty, rapid urbanisation, inadequate public toilets, weak waste management and limited access to reliable water. In rural settlements, households may lack the money or space to construct toilets. In cities, overcrowded neighbourhoods and informal settlements often have too few functional facilities for the population they serve.
The consequences extend beyond personal hygiene. Human waste can contaminate wells, streams and floodwater, contributing to diarrhoeal diseases, cholera and intestinal infections. Children are especially vulnerable, and repeated illness can affect school attendance, nutrition and long-term development. When schools lack safe toilets, adolescent girls may also miss classes during menstruation.
The problem is not solved simply by building a latrine. Facilities must be safe, usable, affordable to maintain and accepted by the community. A toilet that collapses during the rainy season, lacks privacy or is disconnected from water and waste disposal cannot provide a durable solution.
How Nigeria measures progress
The Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet campaign, launched in 2019, set a national target of ending open defecation by 2025. The programme relies on community-led total sanitation, public education, local government mobilisation and certification processes designed to confirm that residents are using toilets rather than merely owning them.
An area seeking open defecation-free status generally has to demonstrate that households, public institutions and public spaces have access to and use suitable sanitation facilities. Verification involves field assessments, community evidence and monitoring. The exact process can expose a gap between a declaration made by a state government and an independently confirmed result.
National reporting has frequently highlighted the number of certified local government areas rather than the number of fully compliant states. This distinction is important. A state may have many successful communities while still recording open defecation in other districts. Likewise, a local government can receive certification and later experience slippage if facilities are abandoned or population growth outpaces services.
Jigawa’s achievement and the states following its path
Jigawa is widely recognised as Nigeria’s first state to achieve open defecation-free status through the national sanitation verification process. Its progress was linked to strong political leadership, community mobilisation, religious and traditional institutions, and sustained monitoring across its local government areas.
The state’s experience also shows why sanitation cannot be treated as a short campaign. Local authorities worked with communities to construct household toilets, discourage the use of open spaces and reinforce behavioural change. Public officials and community leaders used social pressure and education, rather than relying only on punishment.
Ebonyi has also been reported as achieving statewide open defecation-free status and has been described as the second Nigerian state to reach that milestone. Its experience is significant because it demonstrates that progress is possible in the South-East, where terrain, settlement patterns and uneven infrastructure can complicate service delivery. Still, public records should clearly state whether a claim refers to formal national certification, a state declaration or a combination of both.
Other states have announced ODF achievements in selected local government areas. These include parts of Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara, although coverage and verification differ. It would be misleading to describe all of these states as completely free of the practice without current evidence for every local government area.
| State or category | What can be responsibly reported | Why the distinction matters |
|---|---|---|
| Jigawa | Widely recognised as Nigeria’s first nationally verified ODF state | It provides the strongest established example of statewide completion |
| Ebonyi | Reported as achieving a statewide ODF milestone | The basis and date of verification should accompany the claim |
| States with certified LGAs | Many states have one or more verified open defecation-free local governments | Local success does not automatically equal statewide completion |
| States with declarations or campaigns | Some governments have announced major progress or statewide targets | Declarations require independent monitoring and follow-up |
| The national programme | The 2025 target has driven policy, funding and public mobilisation | The target date does not itself prove that the practice has ended |
What successful states have done differently
The strongest programmes have treated sanitation as a governance responsibility rather than a private household matter. Governors and local government chairmen have assigned officials to the campaign, tracked progress and used community structures to identify households without toilets.
Traditional rulers, religious leaders, women’s organisations, schools and health workers have also played important roles. Their involvement makes sanitation advice more credible and helps communities adapt toilet construction to local conditions. In some areas, artisans have been trained to build lower-cost facilities using locally available materials.
Behavioural change is equally important. A newly constructed toilet can fall out of use when a family considers it dirty, unsafe or inconvenient. Regular inspections, hygiene education and community-led enforcement help ensure that infrastructure translates into daily practice. Public institutions must set the standard by keeping toilets in schools, markets, motor parks, health centres and government offices clean and functional.
Accountability must be balanced with fairness. Sanctions against households that lack the resources to build a toilet can deepen hardship. Enforcement should focus on dangerous public practices, commercial premises and institutional negligence while governments expand access to affordable sanitation.
The role of law, data and public communication
Reliable data is essential to prevent exaggerated claims. Governments need current maps showing which wards and local government areas have toilets, which facilities are usable and where open defecation continues. Independent verification should be repeated periodically because certified communities can regress after floods, displacement, conflict or the breakdown of local leadership.
Legal institutions also have a role when sanitation rules are violated, especially by businesses, landlords and public authorities. However, court action should support public health rather than turn poverty into a crime. Efficient judicial systems can help resolve disputes over land, public facilities, environmental damage and regulatory enforcement. The wider conversation about Lagos court innovations illustrates why timely institutions matter when public policy depends on enforcement.
Communication campaigns should use radio, television, schools, social media and local languages. Messages need to explain the health risks of open defecation while avoiding shame that drives the practice underground. Public agencies must also compete with a crowded digital environment, where sanitation information may appear beside commercial material about online casino winnings. Clear, authoritative and locally relevant information is therefore indispensable.
Why statewide certification is difficult to sustain
A state can reach a milestone and still face setbacks. Flooding may destroy toilets, insecurity may prevent inspectors from visiting communities, and economic hardship may stop households from repairing damaged facilities. Population movement can also create new sanitation pressures in towns that were previously compliant.
Urban areas present a different challenge from rural communities. Residents may live in rented rooms, informal settlements or densely packed compounds where there is no space for a private toilet. Public toilets require regular cleaning, water supply, lighting and responsible management. Without a dependable operating model, facilities quickly become unusable.
Sustainability requires sanitation to be integrated into budgets for health, education, housing, water and urban planning. New estates, markets and transport terminals should receive approval only when adequate toilets and wastewater systems are included. Local governments must also collect data after certification instead of treating the award as the end of the work.
Priorities for the next phase
The national target has helped focus attention, but progress will depend on what happens after declarations and ceremonies. States that have reached ODF milestones must protect them, while states with certified local government areas need to extend services to uncovered communities.
Key priorities include:
- Publish current, independently verified sanitation data for every state and local government area.
- Fund affordable household toilets, school facilities, public conveniences and safe waste disposal systems.
- Create maintenance plans so toilets remain usable after construction and certification.
- Link sanitation monitoring to health surveillance, flood response and local government performance reviews.
- Use respectful public education that involves traditional rulers, faith leaders, schools, women’s groups and people with disabilities.
Jigawa’s achievement shows that statewide progress is possible when political commitment is matched by community ownership and sustained verification. Ebonyi’s reported milestone adds another important example, while the achievements of individual local government areas demonstrate that progress can be built from the community upward.
The next task is to replace uncertain claims with transparent evidence. State governments, federal agencies and local authorities should publish the status of each local government area, explain the standards used and report whether facilities remain functional. Citizens, journalists and civil society organisations can help by checking public toilets, following budget commitments and giving visibility to communities still lacking basic sanitation.
Ending open defecation is ultimately a measure of public dignity and accountable government. Nigeria can move beyond declarations when every household, school, market and health facility has a safe toilet that people can use and maintain.