Only 16% of Nigerians have access to basic handwashing facilities – UNICEF

‎The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that a mere 16 percent of Nigerians have access to handwashing facilities in their homes, a statistic shared during the 2025 Global Handwashing Day celebration held on Wednesday in Abuja.
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‎The event, organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation alongside development partners, stressed the urgent need to address Nigeria’s wide hygiene gap.
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‎According to UNICEF Nigeria’s representative, Chisom Adimorah, this means that five out of every six Nigerians lack access to the most basic handwashing setup, raising concerns over public health and disease prevention.
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‎Hygiene experts and officials noted that limited access to handwashing facilities contributes to the prevalence of diseases such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections, which are major causes of illness and death, particularly among children.
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‎UNICEF is committed to support Nigeria in revising its national hygiene strategies aligning with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) and UNICEF’s Global Hand Hygiene Guidelines, aiming for improved health outcomes.
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‎Engr. Joseph Utsev, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, stressed the role of hand hygiene. He pointed to the ‘Nigerian Roadmap to Hand Hygiene for All’, launched in September 2022, as a critical framework guiding the Nigeria hygiene promotion programs.
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‎Utsev emphasised that teaching handwashing habits must begin early in schools to embed this vital health practice throughout life.
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‎Aghogho Gbetsere, representing the Minister of Environment, added that consistent handwashing habits can reduce diarrheal diseases by as much as 50 percent and respiratory infections by 25 percent.
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‎As the country marks Global Handwashing Day, the call for collaboration to close Nigeria’s hygiene gap resonates stronger than ever. With renewed focus on education, infrastructure, and community engagement, Nigeria hopes to improve access to handwashing facilities and save countless lives.