Some Impediments to the Achievement of Sanitation for all in Nigeria

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Indeed a lot of effort has been made in the area of sanitation in Nigeria and just like many reports suggest a lot still needs to be done mostly in the area of behaviour change. Although cost may be one of the reasons for low latrine uptake in the rural areas, there are yet many other factors responsible for this slow pace to achieving the sanitation for all goal, some of these factors are mind-blowing but yet cogent reasons.
1. Myths and Customs: Some communities I have worked-in in Nigeria believe that when you defecate in a house (referring to the latrine/toilet building) you become very poor. In other words open defecation is seen in the community as a path to becoming rich. I keep wondering how this perception can ever be changed. Some say they cannot defecate in the same house that they inhabit since it is an abomination to do that.
2. This practice may also not end because in some other communities especially where the female folks are restricted, going to the bush or open land to defecate provides an opportunity for the females to get to meet their men folks who seldom see them as a result of the restriction.
3. There is also the aspect of politicization of the ODF (Open Defecation Free) status of communities as some organisations working in the WASH sector who have adopted the CLTS approach set unrealistic targets to achieve within limited time frames. This ultimately leads to falsification of figures and rash judgements regarding the statuses of communities. 
4. Lack of follow up after ODF certification of communities is yet another reason as my work in the rural areas suggests. Some communities where their status had been ODF over time revert back to the OD status when the heat cools down. In other words they opted to make their community ODF just to be included amongst those in similar categories as a mark of prestige.

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  1. French English Charles Dans tous les pays du monde la mise en place de l'assainissement est une problématique. La raison est simple: Cette problématique est gérée que du point de vue de la gestion des excréments et non du traitement des excréments. Pourquoi la population terrestre produit elle plus de 45 millions de tonnes d'excréments que le système transforme en 45 millions de tonnes de boue d'excréments: un véritable poison pour l'environnement. Que ce soit du Nord au Sud de l'Est à l'Ouest c'est la même chose, voir pire dans les pyas européens ultra développés. La problématique du traitement des excréments ne provient pas du tout d'une question de comportement. D'ailleurs quel comportement peut il être différent entre une personne qui défèque en France et une personne qui défèque au Nigéria? Aucune. Ce n'est absolument pas une question de comportement. Tant que l'on ne fournira pas à la population un véritable outil de traitment d'épuration des excréments, celle ci retournera à la défécation à l'air libre. L'USAID vient de sortir le :managing_feces_in_challenging_urban_landscapes.pdf. On y peut constater que la population terrestre au sujet de la défécation est toujours au même point qu'il y a 5000 ans: La défécation à l'air libre et ce malgré des investissemetn financiers collossaux en infrastructures de collecte des excréments. Ces derniers terminent toujours sur le sol comme dans la défécation à l'air libre. Le modèle européen est une catastrophe environnementale beaucoup plus important que la défécation à l'air libre. Dans la fonction de défécation à l'air libre les excréments déposés sur le sol sont et restent des excréments. Dans la fonction de gestion des infrastructures actuelles, les excréments deviennent de la boue d'excréments. Un poison que MERE NATURE a du mal à se débarrasser (un an environ). Dans de bonnes conditions biologiques la matière fécale dispariat en tre 12/15 jours. English Hello, Charles In all countries of the world the implementation of sanitation is a problem. The reason is simple: This problem is managed from the point of view of the management of faeces and not of excreta disposal. Why the world's population it produces over 45 million tons of excrement that the system converts to 45 million tons of mud with excrement: a real poison for the environment. Whether from North to South from East to West is the same, or worse in European developed ultra pyas. The problem of excreta disposal does not come at all a question of behavior. Besides what behavior it may be different between a person defecates in France and a person who defecates in Nigeria? Any. This is absolutely not a matter of behavior. As long as we do not provide the public with a real sewage treatement tool excrement, the latter returns to defecation in the open. USAID has just released the: managing_feces_in_challenging_urban_landscapes.pdf. It can be seen that the Earth's population about defecation is still the same that there is 5000 years: Defecation in the open despite the financial collossaux investissemetn in feces collection infrastructure. They always end on the floor as in defecation in the open. The European model is an environmental catastrophe far greater than defecation in the open. In the bowel function in the open feces are deposited on the ground and remain excrement. In the function of management of existing infrastructure, feces become mud with excrement. MOTHER NATURE A poison that is struggling to get rid of (about a year). In good biological conditions in the fecal matter dispariat be 12/15 days.