By Minite Okoroh-Oviaesu
As Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) stands tall as a symbol of progress and modernity, a hidden crisis festers in its fringes, threatening not just public health but the very environment that sustains it. Open defecation—an age-old practice that many associate with rural villages—has crept into the heart of the FCT, with devastating consequences. In the shadows of its gleaming malls and sprawling estates, millions of Nigerians living in satellite towns and settlements around Abuja are forced to relieve themselves in the open. According to a report by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources in 2021, 54.5% of the population in Nigeria do not have basic sanitation while 48% practice open defecation.
This silent, unspoken crisis is more than an inconvenience; it is an environmental catastrophe waiting to explode. The natural ecosystems that surround the FCT are quietly being poisoned, not by industrial waste or urban sprawl, but by human waste.
The Capital’s Dark Underbelly: An Unseen Crisis
While the affluent parts of Abuja boast luxury homes, sparkling shopping malls, and manicured lawns, communities on the periphery—like Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kabusa—tell a very different story. Despite being just a stone’s throw away from Nigeria’s seat of power, these areas are grappling with a severe lack of basic sanitation facilities. The FCT has a high rate of open defecation in the country, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s position as one of the world’s leaders in this ignominious practice.
In places like Kabusa, the rapid urbanization of the FCT has left behind a trail of environmental degradation. Open defecation in this growing community has not only led to health issues but has also devastated the local environment. Rainwater carries human waste in its stead as it flows. This contaminated water finds its way into the capital’s waterways, impacting areas far beyond the immediate community.
The irony here is unmistakable: in a region hailed as the seat of national power, where policymakers, diplomats, and business tycoons make decisions that shape the future of Nigeria, the very land surrounding them is being eroded by a sanitation crisis that reflects the growing environmental divide between the rich and poor.
Environmental Destruction on the Outskirts
From an environmentalist’s perspective, the consequences of open defecation in the FCT are alarming.
The environmental degradation is most visible in communities like Bwari, Lugbe, and Abaji, where open defecation has turned public spaces, and even riverbanks into dumping grounds. With limited access to clean water, diseases like cholera, typhoid, and dysentery thrive and threaten the health and life of members of the community, especially the vulnerable ones- women and children. The cost of healthcare as with most things tangible and intangible on the increase leaves the community members either seeking inappropriate solutions to diseases or leaving their recovery to chance.
The high rate of open defecation in the FCT highlights a failure to integrate sustainable urban planning into the broader development agenda. With Abuja as Nigeria’s shining emblem of national progress, the communities surrounding it have been neglected in ways that will have long-lasting environmental consequences.
Though open defecation is often framed as a problem of poverty, the situation in the FCT reveals a more complex truth. Rapid urbanization and poor planning have left fast-growing communities without access to adequate sanitation infrastructure. The FCT has expanded at a breakneck speed, with informal settlements sprouting up almost overnight, but these developments often lack even the most basic public amenities. This lack of planning means that even as the capital city grows, the foundations of environmental sustainability are being eroded.
Kabusa Community: A Ground Zero for Environmental Crisis
The Kabusa village community offers a telling example of the open defecation crisis in the FCT. Nestled at the periphery of Abuja, Kabusa is a fast-growing settlement with a population that has exploded in recent years. Despite its proximity to the capital city’s wealth and influence, Kabusa has few public toilets and poor sanitation infrastructure. Open defecation is a common practice, with residents using nearby bushes and fields as toilets. The environmental toll has been devastating.
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the open defecation crisis in Kabusa is its prevalence in public schools. Schools in this community, which should be safe havens for children to learn and grow, are often without adequate toilet facilities. The public schools in Kabusa have little or no functioning toilets at all, forcing students—some as young as five years old—to defecate in open fields or behind buildings.
The impact on these children is profound. Not only are they exposed to dangerous pathogens that threaten their health, but the lack of privacy and basic sanitation also affects their ability to concentrate and learn. Female students, in particular, are disproportionately affected, as many opt to stay home during their menstrual cycles rather than face the indignity of having no access to proper sanitation facilities. This deepens gender inequality in education and exacerbates the broader societal issues that come with poor sanitation.
Moreover, the environmental implications are staggering. As students relieve themselves in the open, the waste accumulates around school grounds, contaminating the soil and water sources in the area. The schools themselves become breeding grounds for diseases, and the local environment suffers, as streams and nearby farms are further polluted. This is not just a public health crisis—it is an environmental disaster in the making.
The situation in Kabusa is emblematic of a larger problem that affects many other communities around the FCT, where rapid growth has far outpaced the development of essential services.
A Green Solution: Reimagining Sanitation for Sustainability
In April 2023, the Rural Water and Sanitation Agency- RUWASSA mentioned in a town hall meeting held with stakeholders that the agency is committed to ending open defecation in the FCT by 2030. To achieve this goal, the agency chose Kwali area council as a pilot area to achieve open defecation free status in the FCT. Sanitation committees called WASHCOM have been formed compromising of government officials and community members with training being carried out. RUWASSA has spread into WASHCOM into the Bwari area council with hopes to achieve more success.
Attaining open defecation free status in the FCT is possible. It cannot be achieved solely by building more toilets, though that is certainly a necessary first step. A holistic, environmentally conscious solution is required—one that recognizes the deep connection between human behavior, health, and the natural world.
Sanitation programs in the FCT should embrace eco-friendly alternatives, such as composting toilets, which convert human waste into usable fertilizer. In addition, community leaders and government officials need to invest in public awareness campaigns in collaboration with civil society organizations that educate communities on the environmental impact of open defecation, encouraging behavior change from the ground up.
The FCT’s open defecation crisis also requires stronger regulatory enforcement while local governments should prioritize the creation of public toilets in informal settlements and densely populated areas. Schools, in particular, need immediate intervention, with the government ensuring that every public school in the FCT has clean, functional toilets that meet the needs of students.
As Nigeria’s political and administrative heart, the FCT is in a unique position to lead the way in creating a sustainable future for the nation. The open defecation crisis that now threatens the FCT’s environment is a wake-up call, not just for the government but for every resident of the capital. This is a battle for the future of Nigeria’s environment, its rivers, its soil, and its people.
A cue can be taken from Jigawa state despite being one of the poorest states in the country was the first state in the country in 2022 to have achieved Open Defecation Free status in all 27 LGAs. By investing in sustainable sanitation and taking bold action now, the FCT can turn the tide on open defecation and become a model for how cities in Africa can grow without sacrificing the environment in the process. Only then can Abuja truly claim to be not just the capital of a nation, but the green heart of a sustainable future for all Nigerians.
Minite Okoroh-Oviaesu is Country Director) Resource Conservation Development Initiative International
