80% Of Diseases Nigerians Suffer Are Caused By Open Defecation- Official

Hajiya Rakiya Datti, the Deputy Director, Niger Ministry of
Health, has said that over 80 per cent of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea,
polio and Ebola are contacted through open defecation. Datti disclosed this
during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.

She also explained that children who were vulnerable die
daily from the outbreak of the disease which are transmitted through water and
air.

“As long as open defecation is not
put to an end, the society will be diseased, as there will be infection and
re-infection even when government puts more efforts to curtail it.’’

“It is the responsibility of the Urban
Development Board to ensure that toilets are incorporated in the master plan
before any building can take place, she said.

She also explained that
promotional c campaigns and programmes will help educate citizens of the
hazards of defecating openly and also help in curtailing it.

She also urged the Federal
Government and state governments to provide adequate facilities in public
places while also advising private ventures to go into the business of building
public toilets.