ABUJA SANITATION NIGHTMARE AS OVER 30% WITHOUT TOILETS, OPEN DEFECATION RAMPANT

Just ten minutes from Abuja’s glittering city centre, the densely populated settlement of Mpape is battling a dire sanitation and water crisis that experts warn could become a public health disaster if ignored.
Speaking at a City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) Planning Validation Workshop, Mr. Timeyin Uwejamomere, CEO of Mangrove and Partners Ltd, decried the conditions in Mpape, revealing that over 30% of residents lack toilets and rely on open defecation. The situation, he warned, is “a disease time bomb” given the community’s proximity to government offices and upscale residential zones.
The baseline sanitation assessment was carried out under the Strengthening African Operators Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (SAO-CWIS) program, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study found that Mpape is largely excluded from Abuja’s master plan, has no running water, limited health facilities, and inadequate waste disposal.
Community leader Chief Musa Pada lamented the absence of functional governance. “Our population is over two million, and yet there is no significant intervention. We pay ₦2,000 for a single truck of water,” he said.
Experts are now calling for a city-wide sanitation overhaul, with formal structures to regulate waste management and integrate underserved communities like Mpape into Abuja’s development plans.