Our reporter, EJIOFOR TOOCHI in this special report, looks at how students in Lagos schools are battling issues relating to clean water and functional toilets despite the implementation of WASH.
Miss Oreoluwa is a Junior Secondary School (JSS) student of Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School, located in the Sabo, Yaba, Mainland area of Lagos State. She is in Class 2. She was in her classroom with her mates when she suddenly felt pressed. She reluctantly makes her way out of the classroom and looks for where to urinate. When she found a good spot, she lifted her pinafore and squats to relieve herself.
She told our reporter that she and other students urinate in that manner following instructions from the cleaner in the school that they must not use the water closet.
The ideal situation would have been for her to urinate in the water closet, flush it and then thoroughly wash her hands in the washbasin.
Oreoluwa said: “The woman does not allow students to ease themselves there (water closet), that is why we ease ourselves on the floor.”
Oreoluwa, who spoke with our reporter after school hours in March 2024, like other students, complained about the poor state of toilets in her school. The student’s situation reflects what most students face in some public schools in Lagos State. They are forced to answer the call of nature in a demeaning manner because some basic requisites like water, a functional water closet system and a waste basket are not made available.
However, the Principal of Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School, Mrs Morenike Quadri, while stressing that the students were being economical with the truth, denied knowledge of students urinating on the ground on the instruction of a cleaner who wanted to avoid continually cleaning toilets soiled by students. Indeed, the cleaner, when confronted with the allegation of the students, also denied it.
The girls disclosed that during menstruation, they usually try as much as possible not to change their sanitary pads until they return home.
One of them said: “I have never changed in the school toilet before. I manage it to closing time and then change when I get home.”
They said that in situations of heavy menstrual flow, they seek assistance from the Physical Health Education (PHE) office.
A UNICEF Report, “An Assessment of Menstrual Hygiene Management in Secondary Schools, Anambra, Katsina and Osun States, Nigeria, 2015,” shows that the absence of appropriate facilities such as sanitary product disposal options, access to safe water for handwashing and cleaning soiled clothes, can hinder girls from managing their menstruation safely and hygienically. Consequently, girls like Oreoluwa face challenges such as shame, embarrassment, improper menstruation management, and physical discomfort like cramps.
The report also observed that these difficulties may ultimately lead to reduced concentration in class, decreased participation in school activities, and absenteeism.
UNICEF in its report, WASH in schools, also states: “Every child has the right to a quality education, which includes access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services while at school. Children spend a significant portion of their day at school, where WASH services can impact student learning, health, and dignity, particularly for girls.”
In the 1990s, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) introduced WASH in Schools (WinS) to promote clean water, and toilets and encourage good hygiene practices for students, particularly for girls to boost educational achievement.
In 2022, UNICEF published the WASHNORM (Water Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping 2021 report, which revealed that 23% of Nigerians do not have access to basic water supply services and only 10% of the population have access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services combined. Note that this data covers even schools.
It states that: “only 11% of schools have basic water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services,” meaning that less than half of all schools in Nigeria have access to basic water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services.
Most importantly, only 8% of these schools have girls’ toilet compartments with provisions for menstrual hygiene management.
UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have continuously advocated for schools to implement WASH, as a clean and hygienic environment positively impacts the academic performance of students.
The availability of basic needs like functional sanitation facilities and clean water ensures better health and learning outcomes.
Mr Rotimi Williams Olatunji and Noeem Taiwo Thanny, School of Communication, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria, in their article, “Availability And Adequacy Of WASH Facilities In Secondary Schools In Lagos State, Nigeria,” mentioned that the majority of public schools in Lagos State are short of clean water and sanitation facilities.
They also stated that even the students lack basic hygiene education. According to them, these schools which are mostly overpopulated and understaffed, lack the adequate funds to implement.
At Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School, it was discovered that the school has neglected to fully implement WASH for the students.
Upon entering the unguarded premises during the first visit, our reporter observed an abandoned washbasin situated between the school buildings. The washbasin was previously used by the students during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
With a population of 1337 students, the school boasts of three tanks; one for drinking, the other two for the toilets. The school is a mixed one, with a single toilet each for both girls and boys. Inside the girls’ toilet, there is a single damaged washbasin, and three water closets, of which two are without doors.
Due to gender differences, our reporter was unable to enter the boys’ toilet.
Our reporter spoke with some students, who revealed that the two toilets are solely maintained by a single cleaner, popularly called the Sanitation Manager. A student even attested to experiencing rashes in her private areas and strongly believed that it was due to the unhygienic condition of the toilet.
According to Healthline, “There are many possible causes for a genital rash, ranging from infections that are easily treatable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), allergies, and autoimmune disorders. Some of the most common causes of genital rashes are infections.”
The toilets lack a functional flush water toilet facility, meaning the students must fetch water from a tank downstairs within the compound.
“Sometimes when there is water, we pour water into a bucket, and we’ll then carry it to flush,” said a JSS 1 student. This also happens to be the same situation with Onike Girls Junior High School located in Onike, Yaba.
Our reporter in February 2024 paid a visit to the school under the guise of enrolling her niece. Our reporter observed some female students fetching water from a tank downstairs and later confirmed that their toilet also lacked a functional water closet facility. Thus, when they use the toilet, they fetch water from downstairs and then carry it upstairs, wearing themselves out.
Our reporter pretended to need the toilet to observe the condition of the students’ toilets but was taken to the staff’s toilet. However, the staff toilet also lacked a functional water closet. There was a tap in the toilet, but when our reporter turned it on, there was no water. A blue drum filled with water is kept in the toilet for flushing and washing of hands in the washbasin.
WATER
Some students from Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School who our reporter spoke with, collectively expressed their concern about the quality of water in the school, describing it as, “smelling like hypo.”
Hypo is a popular bleach in many Nigerian homes and is used for cloth whitening.
Water is sourced from a borehole, pumped, and stored in a black tank labelled “drinking water,” designed with an image of a boy drinking. Ironically, despite the labelling, some students do not consider the water safe for their consumption.
A male student in JSS3 opined: “They said that it’s the chemical that they use to wash the tank that causes the water to smell like Hypo, but they do not use to pump the water often, that’s why it used to have a taste.”
QknowBooks states that the Qualities of good drinking water are that it should not have any smell, must not contain any visible solid particles, should not be contaminated, and should not contain unhealthy toxins or chemicals. It should be rich in minerals and tasteless.”
The book further states: “However one may say it tastes good, this is because when one drinks good water he or she tends to want more, especially if one is very thirsty and dehydrated.”
The Principal, Quadri stated that a tank is dedicated specifically for drinking water and is treated. She also explained that the tank is washed thrice in a year.
Professor Bayo Onajole, Community Medicine And A Public Health Physician With Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said that the smell of bleach in such drinking water stemmed from the excess chlorine or hypochlorite used to purify and sterilise the water.
He added: “Even though it may be high because of the taste, it may not be injurious to their health. It is just going to give them the psychological feeling that the water they are drinking has an unpleasant taste.”
This means that while the water may be safe, it is not 100% pure.
In Professor Bayo’s words, pure water “should be odourless, colourless, must have appropriate taste and then must have zero level of faecal organisms, that is E.coli (Escherichia coli).”
While Professor Bayo opined that the chlorine in the water may not be injurious to health, he recommended that the school should test the water again.
“The only thing is that they should also test the water again to correct the taste by reducing the amount of sterilising agent that is being used,” he advised.
As for the students of Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School, they either bring their water from home or buy a sachet of water when they have money because of the odour of the water in their school.
However, if they run out of water or lack the funds to purchase it, they are forced by sheer thirst to drink water stored in the tank.
They frequently resort to fetching water from nearby schools in hopes of finding cleaner water but are often disappointed, because water from other schools tastes similar to theirs.
“We usually think it is only our school that has water that has bad taste and smells, but when we fetch water from another school, the taste is the same,” said a student.
The other school mentioned by the students is St. Dominic Catholic Primary School, now owned by the Lagos State Government.
Other public secondary schools in Lagos frequently face challenges with pumping water into their tanks and toilets due to unreliable electricity supply, said Mrs Kofoworola Belo-Osagie, Commissioning Editor at The Conversation Africa.
This was the fact she uncovered during her investigation titled “The Many Headaches of Public Managers” .
She discovered that many schools struggled to settle their electricity bills, leading to dependence on generators.
Speaking with our reporter, Belo-Osagie said: “I found that the major problem schools had was that they could not afford to pay for electricity. As a result, they depended on generators. If they had, they then struggled to fuel them. Most of them owed electricity bills they could not pay for. The head teachers I spoke with lamented that they had to spend personal funds to boost running costs.”
She continued: “There are two public junior secondary schools close to where I live. I have not entered their premises, so I don’t know if they have WASH facilities. But I often see the students fetching water within my estate – outside their school compound!”
Belo-Osagie recommended that the Lagos State Government should allocate adequate funding to schools and ensure schools have access to electricity.
“Provide public schools with electricity – maybe solar, maybe let them be on the same line that serves hospitals,” she added.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
During a follow-up visit to Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School, our reporter noticed that the two waste bins were overflowing.
A male JSS3 student expressed concern about the odour emanating from the bins, saying, “It takes a lot of time for the people (LAWMA) to come and pack it, so we smell it in our classroom.”
Contrary to the student’s complaint, there was no noticeable stench. The school’s waste bins are positioned close to the fence, and directly behind the Principal and Vice Principal’s offices. It is worth noting that if the bins emit a foul smell, it would also affect the Principal and her Vice Principal the most.
When questioned about the overflowing bins, Quadri explained that they were filled because the school had just resumed, and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) had not yet collected them.
“We keep reminding them to come. They are supposed to come twice a week,” she said.
The Executive Director, Foundation For Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), Mr Nelson Nwafor explained that the delay in waste collection may pose serious health risks to students and staff alike.
He said: “The delay in waste collection by LAWMA exacerbates the issue, as accumulating waste can attract pests and rodents, posing serious health risks to students and staff alike. From an environmental perspective, improper waste disposal contributes to pollution and can harm local ecosystems if not managed appropriately. This underscores the urgency of addressing the waste management shortcomings at your school.”
To mitigate these challenges and to ensure a better and healthier environment for the students, Nelson advised that the school, “implement a comprehensive waste management plan that includes regular waste collection schedules, proper segregation of waste to facilitate recycling efforts, and educational initiatives to raise awareness among students and staff about the importance of responsible waste disposal practices. Relocating the waste bin to a more suitable area away from classrooms would also help minimise the negative impact on both the learning environment and student health.”
Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School is located next to the second entrance of Sabo Market, a busy market in the area.
Our reporter observed a foul smell emanating from the waste and urine disposed of in the vicinity. With only a fence separating the market from the school, the unpleasant smell is likely to reach the classrooms.
The importance of WASH in schools cannot be overemphasised as it ensures a healthy learning environment for the students, hence the need for the State Government and school management to provide and equally maintain adequate WASH facilities.
Ejura Adama, the Communications Assistant at WaterAid, an international Non-governmental Organization (NGO), focused on WASH, emphasises the importance of more WASH donor agencies to model what should be done and work with the government.
She advised: “The government has to collaborate effectively. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Water Resources need to collaborate so that they can pull resources. They should budget an amount that will go into the provision of water for public schools because it is really capital intensive.”
The Development Editor, Premium Times Online News, Mr Mojeed Alabi, stressed the need to build a sanitation culture.
His words: “There is only one primary solution, availability of water and building a culture of sanitation. We must ensure that our environment is clean. We must ensure that people have access to water. We must ensure that the water is also used very well.”
While speaking with students from Mobolaji Bank Anthony Junior High School, our reporter learned that voicing out and demanding improved toilet facilities and clean drinking water, can lead to punitive measures.
Note: The names of students in this report were changed so that they will not be victimised by their school authorities.
This report was facilitated by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under its Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) project.
