Why Many Nigerians Defecate in the Open

Reports given recently by Nigerian national dailies says that over 113 million Nigerians defecate in the open because they lack sanitation facilities.

 

For  many Nigerians, defecating in the open is a normal livestyle because there are no good toilet facilities or conveniences within their reach. This is according the Head of Department of Microbiology, Kaduna State University, Dr. Bimbo Orukotan. Dr. Bimbo said in an interview that most of the people who defecate in the open may be carriers of typhoid fever, noting that the disease passes through faeces and when it rains, water washes the waste into vegetables, wells or broken pipes which can cause infectious diseases that are contagious through water and contaminated foods.

According to her, in places such as markets and shopping malls where good toilet facilities are available, people don’t defacate outside. However, lot of travellers defacate in the open because there are no toilet facilities on the roads, unlike some others countries where toilets are available on road outs, even if one has to use it at a cost. Indiscriminate defection affects shallow wells and contaminated water flows to vegetables and fruits. In instances where these food items are comsumed without proper washing, diseases such as typhoid fever could be transmitted. This makes Typhoid fever more prevailant in impoverished areas with poor sanitation.

Pix by istockphoto 

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