Nigeria’s Silent WASH Crisis: A Public Health Emergency Demanding Urgent Reform
By AUGUSTINA McSOLOMON-OGHAKPERUO
NIGERIA is facing a worsening public health emergency rooted in unsafe water, poor sanitation, and weak hygiene systems—despite massive annual spending on WASH services. Rapid urbanisation is intensifying the crisis, overwhelming already fragile infrastructure and leaving millions exposed to preventable diseases.
The country’s urban population has soared to over 123 million people, expanding far faster than sanitation systems can keep up. UNICEF WASH Specialist Monday Johnson warns that overcrowded slums, failing containment systems, and inadequate wastewater management are driving rising cases of open defecation and water contamination. Only 45% of urban residents have access to safely managed drinking water, and just 25% enjoy safely managed sanitation.
This crisis mirrors broader regional trends across West and Central Africa, but Nigeria stands out for its scale. Over 150 million citizens still lack basic sanitation. Forty-six percent rely on substandard facilities, 23% practice open defecation, and only 17% have access to basic hygiene services. Water quality is perilously low: 70% of household water sources contain E. coli. Health facilities are no better prepared—only 8% meet basic WASH standards, and waste management remains dangerously poor.
The consequences are deadly. One in ten households recently reported a diarrhoea case, with children under five making up most victims. Diarrhoea alone accounts for over a third of reported illnesses in health facilities. Behind these numbers are families drinking unsafe water, communities navigating contaminated environments, and children paying the price of systemic neglect.
Experts argue that Nigeria’s WASH failures stem from inequality, poor governance, outdated policies, and a lack of coordinated urban sanitation frameworks. While states like Jigawa and Katsina have achieved open-defecation-free status, most remain far behind, and progress is painfully slow.
Markets and motor parks—critical public spaces—are also grossly underserved, with only 4% providing basic water and sanitation. UNICEF officials insist that access to WASH is a human right and urge government at all levels to adopt targeted, city-specific sanitation strategies that match Nigeria’s accelerating urban growth.
The human cost of inaction is immense. Without urgent reforms, increased investment, and political will, Nigeria risks trapping millions in cycles of poverty, disease, and indignity. The country cannot continue to overlook a crisis that strikes at the core of public health, social equity, and national development.
