- info@thetraffic.ng
- 7 Nasir El Rufai Crescent, Guzape
- Apple honors eight developers with annual Apple Design Awards
- PRESIDENT TINUBU’S MINING REFORMS YIELD SIX-FOLD INCREASE IN REVENUE, $800M FOREIGN INVESTMENT, REVEALS ALAKE
- Shettima Vows Federal Backing for Nigerian Investors: A Billion-Dollar Economy in Sight
- JAMB Raises Bar for Under-16 Admission as 599 Gifted Candidates Score Above 320 in UTME
- CPC Bloc Reaffirms Commitment to APC
- National Sports Commission Convenes Strategic Meeting With Sports Federations’ Presidents and Secretaries
- Nigeria Declares Bitcoin & Other Virtual Assets as Official Securities in Bold New Law
- Osinachi’s Husband Sentenced to Death by Hanging
- Court of Appeal Upholds IPOB’s Terrorist Status – What This Means for Nnamdi Kanu
- IG Orders Arrest Of Cops’ Killers During Abuja Shi’ite Procession
Ebonyi State is facing a staggering public health crisis as new data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that over 2.5 million residents engage in open defecation every single day. This alarming trend has placed the state on a high-alert list for deadly outbreaks of cholera and other water-borne diseases.
During a high-level advocacy visit to Governor Francis Nwifuru at the Government House in Abakaliki on Friday, January 23, 2026, UNICEF’s Nigeria Chief of Field Service, Ms. Judith Leveillee, delivered a sobering ultimatum: the state needs approximately $125 million (roughly ₦187 billion) to construct the 2.5 million latrines required to wipe out the practice for good.
Rather than viewing the crisis solely as a burden, Ms. Leveillee framed it as a massive untapped market for local entrepreneurs. With a single latrine costing roughly ₦75,000, she urged the state to mobilize small business owners to drive a sanitation revolution.
“This is something that can change; it doesn’t need to be like that,” Leveillee stressed. She pointed to successful models in other Nigerian states that have achieved “Open Defecation Free” (ODF) status, urging Ebonyi to lead the charge in the South-East.
The stakes are life and death. UNICEF expressed deep concern over the recurring threat of cholera, particularly in three high-risk Local Government Areas (LGAs): Izzi, Ohaukwu, and Ebonyi.
“Cholera has killed over 20,000 people globally, and we can end it now,” Leveillee warned. She explained that the financial drain on families—spending limited resources to cure diarrhea and acute watery diseases—is a major factor in the state’s poverty cycle. The goal, she noted, must be achieved “LGA by LGA, ward
In response to the grim statistics, Governor Francis Nwifuru endorsed UNICEF’s call for an immediate end to open defecation, alongside efforts to combat malnutrition and poor immunization.
“We know the negative implications of open defecation and erratic immunization,” the Governor admitted. He vowed that his administration would take “drastic measures,” including a directive to all 13 LGA Chairmen to prioritize sanitation and health data collection.
READ ALSO: Nigeria, Türkiye Set for Fresh Strategic Talks as Tinubu Visits
The Governor pledged that the state would immediately focus on constructing public toilets in the most critical areas: markets, schools, and transportation hubs. “We will do everything within our reach to make this a thing of the past,” he added.
As the state moves toward a data-driven health reform, the 2.5 million residents currently without a dignified place to go are waiting to see if these promises will turn into the bricks and mortar of a cleaner, safer Ebonyi.
