Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
President of the Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO), Faith Negbe Osazuwa-Ojo, has said only 15 per cent of Nigerian schools have budgeted funds for the maintenance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, raising concerns over the health, dignity and learning conditions of millions of schoolchildren.
Osazuwa-Ojo disclosed this at the organisation’s 33rd Annual Development Forum in Abuja on Thursday, warning that inadequate access to safe water, decent toilets and handwashing facilities continued to undermine children’s welfare and educational development.
The LAPO president, who spoke at the forum themed ‘Safe Water, Healthy Learning: Advancing WASH in Nigerian Schools,’ said findings from the 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM) report showed that only 37 per cent of schools had access to basic water supply services.
She added that only 35 per cent had access to basic sanitation services, while 30 per cent provided basic hygiene services, including handwashing facilities, soap and water.
The LAPO president described the figures as more than statistics, saying they reflected the daily struggles of Nigerian children forced to learn in environments where basic necessities were lacking.
“These are far more than statistics. They represent the daily reality and struggles of millions of Nigerian children,” she said.
She painted a picture of pupils arriving at school eager to learn but finding no clean drinking water, decent toilets or facilities to wash their hands, warning that such conditions could encourage the spread of preventable diseases, reduce school attendance and disrupt learning.
Osazuwa-Ojo said every child deserved to learn in a safe, healthy and dignified environment, stressing that access to water, sanitation and hygiene should be treated as a fundamental requirement for quality education.
She called for stronger partnerships, increased investment and sustained action to ensure that Nigerian schools became safe places where children could learn and thrive.
The LAPO president reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to improving lives, noting that the future of Nigeria depended partly on the choices made today to protect and support its children.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the forum, Dr Oyefemi Obazee, called on government, education authorities and development partners to prioritise investments in school WASH facilities, backed by adequate funding, effective implementation and sustained accountability.
Obazee said Nigeria’s development challenges required collaboration among government, civil society, academia, the private sector and development partners to develop practical and sustainable solutions.
She noted that despite efforts by the Nigerian government and its development partners to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene through the National WASH Policy, many schools still lacked basic facilities, exposing pupils to conditions that compromised their health, dignity and academic performance.
“At LAPO, we believe that quality education cannot thrive where basic human needs are unmet,” she said, adding that every child deserved an environment that protected their health and enabled them to realise their full potential.
Addressing stakeholders, Obazee urged school proprietors, administrators and teachers to regard WASH as an essential component of quality education and to promote hygiene practices while ensuring that facilities were properly maintained.
She also called on development partners and the private sector to invest in innovative and sustainable solutions for underserved schools, while urging parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community stakeholders to support schools and promote good hygiene practices.
Obazee challenged students to become ambassadors of change by practising good hygiene, caring for their environment and encouraging their peers to do the same.
The concerns raised at the forum were reinforced by former Minister of Aviation and Co-Chairman, Chief Osita Chidoka, who was represented by Deputy Corps Marshal Victor Nwokolo (rtd).
He argued that Nigeria had focused too heavily on building infrastructure without ensuring that it continued to function.
Citing the example of a 10-year-old pupil, Hajara, at Sabon Layi Primary and Junior Secondary School in Potiskum, Yobe State, Chidoka said the school had a borehole, but the facility stopped working, forcing the child to carry water from home until it was converted to a solar-powered system.
He said the case illustrated the difference between providing infrastructure and delivering reliable public services.
According to him, government should measure success by the number of facilities that remain functional rather than by the number of projects completed.
Chidoka proposed that every public school should have a clearly designated institution responsible for its water and sanitation services, a funded maintenance arrangement and a publicly accessible record showing whether facilities were operational.
He also called for dedicated maintenance budgets, regular inspections and stronger community participation in monitoring school facilities.
The communiqué issued at the end of the forum identified inadequate funding, poor maintenance, weak institutional accountability and limited community participation as major obstacles to sustainable WASH services in schools.
It recommended gender-sensitive sanitation facilities, adequate menstrual hygiene support for adolescent girls, accessible infrastructure for children with disabilities and stronger coordination among federal, state and local governments.