As Nigeria marks the 2025 National Environmental Sanitation Day (NESD), the Federal Government has called on all states to reinstate the monthly environmental sanitation exercise to help fight diseases and improve public hygiene.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, made this known during a press briefing on the NESD, which is commemorated every 28th of June. This year’s theme is “Safe Sanitation and Hygiene for Disease Prevention.”
Speaking through the Director of Pollution and Environmental Health, Engr. Dr. Bahijjahtu Abubakar, the minister said many diseases affecting Nigerians today, especially children under five, are caused by poor sanitation and hygiene.
According to him, more than 3.5 million children in Nigeria suffer from diarrhoea each year, with many deaths linked to poor hygiene. He said diseases like this can be prevented if communities have and maintain clean environments.
“Sanitation-related diseases affect not just health, but also the economy. Families spend more on medical bills and lose income due to sickness,” Lawal said.
He warned that poor sanitation also contaminates water, soil, and air, leading to long-term environmental damage.
Lawal stressed that sanitation is a basic human right, but many communities in Nigeria still lack toilets and clean water. He said the Ministry of Environment remains committed to improving hygiene and sanitation nationwide and is calling on all state governments to act urgently.
The federal government hopes that by returning to regular monthly clean-up exercises, communities will take greater responsibility for their environments and help reduce disease outbreaks across the country.
