DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL STUDIES

NUHU BAMALLI POLYTECHNIC
P.M.B 1061 ZARIA
ASSIGNMENT ON
EDITORIAL WRITING
BY
GROUP (A)
S/N NAMES REG. NO SIGN

1. ZULAIHAT ADAMU H/MAC/E/19/04611

2. ESTHER FRANCIS ABU H/MAC/E/19/04423

3. EMMANUEL THOMAS H/MAC/E/19/03603
4. BETTY MAXWELL IKHANOBA H/MAC/E/19/04363
5. MARY RECHARD OKOYI H/MAC/E/19/04639
6. FAVOUR JOSEPH DANBOYI H/MAC/E/19/03590
7. JOHN ISAH H/MAC/E/19/04319
8. NALADO KARIM H/MAC/E/19/04917
9. BENJAMIN ADESEWA FLORENCE H/MAC/E/19/24755
10. AMINA NNAMAMI MUSA H/MAC/E/19/24756
11. IKILIMA ADAMU H/MAC/E/19/24768
12. OBALOWU ABDULRASAQ H/MAC/E/19/03362
13. MUAWIYYA SHEHU. M H/MAC/E/19/03497
14. AREWA JOSHUA ATTAM H/MAC/E/19/03039
15. PELE UBI STEPHEN H/MAC/E/19/04322
16. ABUBAKAR YUNUSA H/MAC/19/E/24757
17. DORCAS EMMANUEL ONOJA H/MAC/E/19/03763
18. MAMMAN MEMORY AUDU H/MAC/E/19/04429
19. RITA SIMON H/MAC/E/19/24748
20. MUHAMMAD YUNUSA H/MAC/E/19/01527

QUESTION:
WRITE ON OPEN DEFECATION: A THREAT TO HEALTH PROMOTION IN NIGERIA.
STATE THE TYPE OF EDITORIAL USED ALSO MENTION THE KIND OF OPENING IT
IS .E.G QUOTATION, SUMMARY, QUESTION OPENING E T C.

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 OPEN DEFECATION: A THREAT TO HEALTH PROMOTION IN NIGERIA.

In October 2019, Nigeria became the number one open defecation nation globally, passing India.

It is estimated that 50 million Nigerians (or 10 million households) defecate in the open. How

Nigeria overtook India is a matter of serious concern. India has a population of 1.353 billion

people and 3.287 million km land area, against Nigeria’s 200 million people and 923,769km land

area. It took seriousness, determination and great efforts for India to improve. Now that Nigeria

is where India used to be on this index, it will need do similar things – but even more seriously.

Open defecation is the act of passing excreta in open air locations instead of in hygienic, covered

locations. The phenomenon does not just occur in the rural areas of Nigeria but also in the cities,

and among the educated class in public tertiary institutions, business and residential areas. Over

47 million Nigerians defecate openly in and on bushes, gutters, sidewalks, motor parks,

recreation parks, rivers and streets amongst others. Some efforts have been made over the

decades to reduce the cases of open defecation in Nigeria. Regrettably, they remain mainly

efforts, with only 14 of 774 local governments in the country free of open defecation.

Abdul, a taxi driver in the city, said people defecate in bushes or open spaces because the city

does not have the facilities they can otherwise use.

“It is not easy to hold am for body,” he told PREMIUM TIMES in Pidgin English.

“You must let it out, if not you go mess yourself up. See as this city fine, no public toilet wey

you fit quickly park use.”

To access a public toilet in Abuja, he said, one has to enter a bank hall, hotel, major eatery,

market or a major park. “That one na long thing for shit,” he said, explaining why people simply

do it wherever they consider safe from gaping eyes.

“Go market, you go pay to enter market, still find parking space and pay to use toilet. For wetin?

Better enter bush quickly do am.”

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In 2019, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari signed Executive Order 009 to tackle open

defecation. In the same year, Nigeria’s Ministry of Water Resources¸ in collaboration with

UNICEF and some other key agencies, launched the initiative tagged ‘Nigeria Open-Defecation-

Free By 2025: A National Road Map’ in order to end the inimical practice by 2025. Apart from

bringing a negative social stigma to Nigeria, which is touted as the Giant of Africa and the most

populous black nation in the world, open defecation also poses obvious environmental, health

and economic problems for Nigeria and its nationals. It pollutes the environment and exposes

children and adults to critical health problems like diarrhoea (hence leading to untimely deaths).

Economically, Nigeria’s Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu declared:

"As per a World Bank Report (2012), Nigeria loses NGN 455bn or US$3bn annually due to poor

sanitation. This works out to US$20 per capita/year and constitutes 1.3 per cent of Nigeria's

GDP. According to the same report, open defecation alone costs Nigeria over US$1bn a year.

The market potential of sanitation in the country is huge. If the 46 million people that defecate in

the open at present opt for a toilet, the demand for material and labour, on a conservative

estimate, will work out to NGN 1250bn or over US$8bn’.

Many Schools without Toilets

Open defecation is the norm in many higher institutions of learning in Nigeria because the toilet

facilities are not properly managed.

At the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State, students prefer to find other means to

using the toilets available. The Federal University thousands of students and four student hostels.

With over 1,000 occupants of the hotels, sanitation facilities are over-stretched.

Victory Ezeokonkwo, the president of Block E male hostel, said due to poor facility

management, most of the students defecate in bushes. The 300-level Political Science student

said there has been no water in the hostel since his first year in the school.

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Though there are mobile or fixed structure public toilets around for use on payment of charges as

low as N50, people seem to prefer open defecation.

“We dey piss and shit at that end but SARS (a police unit) dey catch person o. We no get money

to dey use public toilet. Nah only rich people dey use am,” Tunde Rotimi told PREMIUM

TIMES, pointing at an abandoned building surrounded by a heap of refuse along the railway at

Oshodi.

“Oga, just urinate inside the gutter behind the vehicle,” Taiwo Johnson, a security man at a mall

in Bariga said when the reporter asked to use a public toilet.

“You can see the middle of the road, the heap of dirt. Homeless people, beggars live around it

and they defecate here at night or early in the morning,” Ade Martins who lives in Okokomaiko

said.

A tea vendor in the area, Yusuf Ibrahim, admits to defecating in public spaces when the

operators of a public toilets there have closed.

REASONS FOR OPEN DEFECATION

The reasons for open defecation are varied. It can be a voluntary, semi-voluntary or involuntary

choice. Most of the time, a lack of access to a toilet is the reason. However, in some places even

people with toilets in their houses prefer to defecate in the open.

A few broad factors that result in the practice of open defecation are listed below.

No toilet

Lack of infrastructure: People often lack toilets in their houses, or in the areas where they live.

Lack of toilets in other places: Lack of toilets in places away from people's houses, such as in

schools or in the farms leads the people to defecate in the open. Another example is a lack of

public toilets in cities, whether by a reluctance among businesses to allow patrons to use their

toilets or limited hours (e.g. if there are no 24-hour businesses in town and someone needs to use

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the toilet after regular business hours), which can be a big problem for homeless people. Use of

toilets for other purposes: In some rural communities, toilets are used for other purposes, such as

storing household items, animals, farm products or used as kitchens. In such cases, people go

outside to defecate.

Uncomfortable or unsafe toilet

A pit latrine with failing superstructure in Nigeria.

Poor quality of toilet: Sometimes people have access to a toilet, but the toilet might be broken, or

of poor quality – outdoor toilets (pit latrines in particular) typically are devoid of any type of

cleaning and reek of odors. Sometimes, toilets are not well lit at all times, especially in areas that

lack electricity. Others lack doors or may not have water. Toilets with maggots or cockroaches

are also disliked by people and hence, they go out to defecate.

Risky and unsafe: Some toilets are risky to access. There may be a risk to personal safety due to

lack of lights at night, criminals around them, or the presence of animals such as snakes and

dogs. Women and children who do not have toilets inside their houses are often found to be

scared to access shared or public toilets, especially at night. Accessing toilets that are not located

in the house might be a problem for disabled people, especially at night. In some parts of the

world, Nigeria for example, very young children are discouraged from using pit latines due to the

risk of them falling through the open drop-hole. In such cases when there is no other available

sanitation facility, children are encouraged to practice open defecation.

Presence of toilet but not privacy: Some toilets do not have a real door, but have a cloth hung as

a door. In some communities, toilets are located in places where women are shy to access them

due to the presence of men.

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Lack of water near toilet

Absence of supply of water inside or next to toilets cause people to get water from a distance

before using the toilet. This is an additional task and needs extra time.

Too many people using a toilet

This is especially true in the case of shared or public toilets. If too many people want to use a

toilet at the same time, then some people may go outside to defecate instead of waiting. In some

cases, people might not be able to wait due to diarrhea (or the result of an Inflammatory Bowel

Disease emergency).

Fear of the pit getting filled: In some places, people are scared that their toilet pits will get filled

very fast if all family members use them every day. So they continue to go out to delay the toilet

pit filling up. This is especially true in the case of a pit latrine.

Unrelated to toilet infrastructure

Lack of awareness: People in some communities do not know about the benefits of using toilets.

Lack of behavior change

Some communities have toilets, yet people prefer to defecate in the open. In some cases, these

toilets are provided by the government or other organizations and the people do not like them, or

do not value them. They continue to defecate in the open. Also, older people are often found to

defecate in the open and they are hesitant to change their behavior and go inside a closed toilet.

Prefer being in nature

This happens mostly in less populated or rural areas, where people walk outside early in the

morning and go to defecate in the fields or bushes. They prefer to be in nature and the fresh air;

instead of defecating in a closed space such as a toilet. There may be a cultural or habitual

preference for defecating "in the open air", beside a local river or stream, or even the bush.

Combining open defecation with other activities

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 Some people walk early in the morning to look after their farms. Some consider it a social

activity, especially women who like to take some time to go out of their homes. While on their

way to the fields for open defecation they can talk to other women and take care of their animals.

Social norms

Open defecation is a part of people's life and daily habits in some regions. For instance, a 2011

survey in rural East Java, Indonesia, found that many men considered the practice ‘normal’, and

having distinct benefits such as social interaction and physical comfort.[26] In some cultures,

there may be social taboos where a father-in-law may not use the same toilet as a daughter-in-

law in the same household.[citation needed]

Social or personal preferences

Open defecation is a preferred practice in some parts of the world, , with many respondents in a

survey from 2015 stating that "open defecation was more pleasurable and desirable than latrine

use".

Fecal incontinence

This medical condition can result in abrupt 'emergencies' and not enough time to access a toilet.

Public defecation for other reasons

In developed countries, open defecation is either due to homelessness, or considered to be a part

of voluntary, recreational outdoor activities such as camping in remote areas. It is difficult to

estimate how many people practice open defecation in these communities.

Examples of Countries who participated in open defecation

Cambodia, Chad, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan,

Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Vietnam.

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HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF OPEN DEFECATION

According to the 2016/2017 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey by UNICEF done in Nigeria,

open defecation has remained a challenge both in urban and rural areas. The survey shows

Nigeria has the second highest prevalence of open defecation in the world. According to

UNICEF, 25 per cent of Nigerians defecate openly and only three LGAs in the country are open

defecation free. This means that 771 of the 774 local government areas in the country are still

grappling with open defection. The World Health Organization says open defecation pollutes the

environment and causes health problems. It linked it to the high prevalence of water-borne

infectious diseases such as cholera, diarrhea and hepatitis A, among others and high child

mortality, poor nutrition and poverty in the country. Also, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control

(NCDC), in its advisory campaign said open defecation is one of the major causes of cholera in

the country. With the rainy season every year comes an increase in cholera cases across the

country. Currently, there is an outbreak of cholera in 12 states. The situation report of NCDC for

week 23, shows that 11,696 suspected cases of Cholera have been recorded across 10 states from

January this year.

Government not doing enough Global health agencies have stressed that Nigeria needs to launch

a serious campaign against open defecation so as to attain Goal 6 of the UN sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

For Nigeria to be open defecation free, the World Bank said, the federal government needs to

invest about N2.88 trillion ($8.3 billion) to effectively tackle the problem in different part of the

country.

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WAY OF PREVENTING OPEN DEFECATION

 Make toilets a status symbol

We have to make toilet sexy so that people want to have them. When say " toilet" people often

think of dark, dirty and smelly places.

Instead, we need them to think of toilet as rooms for happiness- clean, colourful and not smelly.

Rational approaches have limited impact on behavior change. Although they can serve as

justification for choice, people primarily make decisions base on aspirations and justify their

decisions rationally afterwards.

 Change the vocabulary

Let make the conversation more accessible by what we mean. Even among those working in the

field, we constantly hide behind clean - sounding words likes sanitation, latrine wash ( water

sanitation and hygiene), open defecation. These words don't mean anything to the masses, so

how can we drive action if we can't even talk about what we are doing. Let's replace words like

sanitation and open defecation with toilet and shitting outside.

 Start with health

Diseases transmission and other riskys associated with open defecation.

People need to understand the worth in investing in toilets in terms of the health benefits. This

not feasible without supportive policies and s market environment, and cannot increase demand

for sanitation alone. That requires a combination of factors.

 Make the case to government

The best way to encourage is governments when populations demand it. Somehow, this create a

vicious cycle but one that could be made virtuous. In the shorter term, if sanitation a priority for

donors, development banks and NGOs , it will also influence government priorities. We need to

be better at making the case that it's a great investment with tremendous return (five to one), due

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to the impacts on public health, education, gender, and dignity. For local governments, it is key

they see that delivering on sanitation might help them win their next elections.

 Encourage hand washing

We see hygiene and sanitation message as linked, especially the need for systematic hand

washing with soap or ash. Not defecating in open, keeping toilets fly- prof and washing hands

after using the toilet and before preparing food are the three key indicators for declaring a

community ODF but systematic hand washing is a more difficult habit to create, and we're

working with the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine in Nigeria to test the addition

of emotional triggers to the normal CLTs approach.

SOLUTIONS TO OPEN DEFECATION

The solutions to open defecation include intensified advocacy to the Nigerian populace to

sensitize them to the prevalence, danger and solutions to open defecation. Private and public

media originations should massively enlighten people on these.

Second, ‘hygiene laws’ ought to be made at the state and federal houses of assemblies

criminalizing open defecation, especially in the cities. Motor parks, shopping complexes,

markets, restaurants, educational, financial institutions, all public and private buildings,

communities, petrol stations, and recreation areas must have toilets with running water. No

private building or business site plan should be approved without provision for toilet facilities.

Those whose toilets are not properly maintained will be sanctioned appropriately. Each local

government must have sanitary officials that bring the hygiene laws to bear by ensuring

compliance.

Third, water supply should be made an important priority all over Nigeria. Each state and local

government should acquire borehole drilling machines and sink boreholes in strategic areas,

especially in rural areas.

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Fourth, private organizations like banks, oil, insurance and manufacturing companies should

donate latrines/toilets where needed across the nation as part of their corporate social

responsibility (CSR). Fifth, technological innovations should be encouraged to building toilet

models suitable to the environment and for the needs of the people. 

All senior government officials (representatives, civil servants, ministers, commissioners,

governors, as well as heads of private companies) should champion this campaign. Finally, cash

and gift awards (including plaques) should be given in recognition and appreciation of those that

make outstanding contributions to this campaign in other to motivate others.

CONCLUSION

If India, with a population of almost seven times bigger and a land area three-and-a-half times

bigger than Nigeria, can eradicate or drastically reduce open defecation, Nigeria should also be

able to do so. What it requires is the will backed up by consistent, deliberate actions.

We make used of the ARGUMENTATIVE EDITORIAL and also make used of

QUOTATION OPENING.

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REFERENCE

Open defecation: Nigeria ranks Number 1 in the World – Minister’ (Punch, 28 October 2019),

see https://punchng.com/open-defecation-nigeria-ranks-no-1-in-the-world-minister/.

Nigeria Open-Defecation-Free By 2025: A National Road Map’, (UNICEF, 2019), see

www.unicef.org/nigeria/media/1491/file/Nigeria-making-Nigeria-open-defecation-free-

by-2025.pdf.pdf.

Paul Adepoju, ‘Why Nigeria's campaign to end open defecation is failing’ (Devex, 13 August

2019) www.devex.com/news/why-nigeria-s-campaign-to-end-open-defecation-is-failing-

95448.

Making Nigeria Open-Defecation-Free By 2025: A National Road Map.

Timothy Obiezu, ‘Nigerian Authorities Launch Campaign Against Open Defecation’ (Voa, 19

November 2019) www.voanews.com/africa/nigerian-authorities-launch-campaign-

against-open-defecation.

Afe Babalola, ‘The scourge of open defecation in Nigeria: Need for immediate and urgent

intervention’ (Vanguard, 25 December 2019), www.vanguardngr.com/2019/12/the-

scourge-of-open-defecation-in-nigeria-need-for-immediate-and-urgent-intervention/

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