The Federal Government has disclosed that less than 36 per cent of Nigerians have access to improved toilet facilities, warning that poor sanitation continues to pose serious public health and environmental risks.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a briefing to commemorate the 2026 World Toilet Day.

He was represented by the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Mrs Omotunde Adeola.

Lawal said many public places, including markets, motor parks, schools and communities, still lacked adequate toilet facilities, contributing to open defecation, water contamination and the spread of diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

He identified women, girls, children, older persons and people living with disabilities as the most affected by inadequate sanitation, stressing that poor toilet facilities threaten public health, human dignity and environmental safety.

The minister listed government interventions to address the challenge, including the Clean and Green Programme, community-based waste management and open defecation control initiatives, as well as capacity building for environmental health officers.

He also announced that the ministry would organise a National Dialogue on Faecal Sludge Management on November 23, involving seven selected states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Lawal urged state and local governments, private sector operators and development partners to strengthen investments in sanitation infrastructure and promote proper hygiene practices.

This year’s World Toilet Day is themed “Sanitation and Gender Equality,” with the tagline, “Safe Toilets. Equal Futures.”