Nigeria is facing a worsening urban sanitation crisis as rapid population growth, accelerating urbanisation and decades of underinvestment continue to outpace existing infrastructure, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has warned.
The warning was issued yesterday in Abuja at the launch of Nigeria’s Urban Sanitation Diagnostic Report under the African Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII), where stakeholders disclosed that only about 20 per cent of Nigerians currently have access to safely managed sanitation services.
They cautioned that without urgent investment, Nigeria’s population, projected to exceed 400 million by 2050 and approach 500 million before the end of the century, could place unprecedented pressure on urban centres, with far-reaching consequences for public health, environmental sustainability and economic development.
Speaking at the event, AfDB’s Division Manager for Water and Sanitation, Jeanne-Astrid Ngako, described Nigeria’s rapid demographic expansion as one of Africa’s most significant urban development challenges.
She said the key issue was no longer whether urbanisation would continue, but whether millions of Nigerians would have access to safe sanitation services capable of supporting healthy, productive and resilient cities.
“The decisions we make today will determine whether our cities provide dignity, opportunity and prosperity for future generations,” she said.
Ngako urged policymakers to treat urban sanitation as a national development priority rather than a sector-specific issue, calling for stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector.
While acknowledging progress made by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, she said the diagnostic report identified significant gaps, particularly in on-site sanitation systems that serve rapidly expanding urban populations.
According to her, conventional sewerage networks alone cannot bridge Nigeria’s sanitation deficit because they require substantial capital investment and long implementation timelines.
She therefore advocated wider adoption of affordable and flexible on-site sanitation systems capable of reaching underserved urban and peri-urban communities more quickly.
Presenting an overview of the country’s sanitation status, the Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Jamilu Dan Habu, said Nigeria continues to face major challenges despite ongoing reforms.
He disclosed that while about 60 per cent of Nigerians have access to basic sanitation services, only 20 per cent benefit from safely managed sanitation.
According to him, hygiene service coverage stands at approximately 25 per cent, while sanitation facilities are available in only 44 per cent of schools, 15 per cent of healthcare facilities and about 20 per cent of public places nationwide.
Habu said rapid urbanisation continues to outstrip available sanitation infrastructure, widening service gaps across the country’s cities.
He noted that most urban households rely on on-site sanitation systems because sewerage networks remain severely underdeveloped across the country.
He added that the Federal Government has introduced several reforms, including the National Action Plan for the Revitalisation of Nigeria’s Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector, while the National Policy on Water Supply and Sanitation is being reviewed to strengthen governance and accelerate the implementation of city-wide inclusive sanitation.
