The National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS) says Nigeria loses 1.3 percent of its annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to poor sanitation.
It further said that more losses could be recorded if the situation was not addressed.
The Chairman of the group, Mr. Emmanuel Awe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that there was a need for a national sanitation strategy to help households own safe, durable and cost-effective latrines.
According to him, the sanitation situation in Nigeria shows the need for deliberate action to reduce preventable diseases.
He said the National Database on Open Defecation (OD) indicated that no fewer than 13,000 communities had achieved open defecation- free status, a situation, which had led to significant improvement in overall sanitation coverage in Nigeria.
Awe called for the development of a private sector-led supply chain to lead the drive in creating attitudinal change messages on the benefits of living in a hygienic environment.
He said with commitment and renewed partnership with all stakeholders, communities would be able to move up the sanitation ladder to break the cycle of disease transmission, thus ensuring healthful lifestyle for Nigerians.
Awe said health, education, nutrition, social and market activities had been affected by poor sanitation, adding that within the next 15 years, at least 54.6 million people would desist from open defecation.
The chairman commended the Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, for the inauguration of the Partnerships for Expanded Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PREWASH) program.
He said the program would go a long way toward promoting the well-being of Nigerians.
Awe urged people living in remote areas to take hygiene seriously in view of the huge role they play in national development and the production of food for the country.
NAN quotes the Minister as saying that “to achieve ODF, means without exception, all households and institutions have ended the practice of open defecation; they have cleaned their environment, and have constructed basic or modified toilets. ”
Adamu said efforts made in the past to address the situation had yielded minimal results.
“A critical look at the situation shows that it cannot be business as usual and that all hands must be on deck in tackling this challenge,’’ he said.
Nigeria is reported to be a country with 46 million people, who engage in open defecation as more than two-thirds of the population lacks basic sanitation facilities.
