179 million Nigerians still live in unclean environments – Report

The seventh edition of the State of the Nigerian Environment (STONE) report has revealed that no fewer than 179 million people in Nigeria live in unclean environments.

This represents an improvement compared to 183 million recorded in 2023.

The report, signed by Mr. Ene Owoh, National Coordinator of Clean-Up Nigeria (CUN), was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

According to Owoh, the study’s indicators are designed to promote comprehensive environmental policies targeting governments at all levels and citizens.

“The 2024 zonal rating has significant merits and is expected to improve Nigeria’s national cleanliness index rating,” Owoh stated.

He noted a slight improvement in reducing open defecation, which dropped from 24% in 2023 to 20% in 2024.

However, he highlighted a decline in waste recycling efforts, which fell from 26% in 2023 to 19% in 2024, attributing the drop to rising poverty levels.

“Nigeria’s sanitation situation is a mixed bag,” Owoh said, emphasizing the importance of environmental cleanliness and sustainable waste management.

The findings also revealed that only seven states demonstrated good personal hygiene and sanitation practices among their citizens, underscoring the need for broader improvements in environmental and public health efforts.

“Akwa Ibom recently unveiled significant waste management equipment upgrades alongside efforts to improve citizen sanitation, offering valuable insights for other states to emulate,” he noted.

“The zonal approach will facilitate interstate collaboration and partnerships, encouraging states to adopt effective strategies to tackle their unique environmental challenges and work towards a healthier nation,” Owoh stated.

He also announced the six zonal cleanest state champions for 2024, as recognized by the Cleanliness Performance Index chaired by Prof. Solomon Balogun, Chairman of the STONE NTSG. The champions include:

“These states were awarded the prestigious STONE Green Crystal Award for their achievements. Highlighting successes and challenges within each zone inspires citizens to take greater responsibility for their local environments,” Owoh added.

The zonal rating, backed by six years of effective data collection and analysis (2018–2023), promotes healthy competition and self-improvement among states.

He assured that this approach would foster healthy competition, encourage self-improvement, and drive targeted interventions to implement and showcase best practices.