By Iyoho Emmanuel
ABUJA — The Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) has raised concerns over inadequate access to safe drinking water, functional toilets and handwashing facilities in Nigerian schools, calling on governments at all levels to urgently address the situation.
The organisation disclosed that nearly 29 million Nigerian children lacked access to drinking water in their schools, according to the 2023 national Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) mapping survey.
LAPO made the call at its 33rd Annual Development Forum, themed “Safe Water, Healthy Learning: Advancing WASH in Nigerian Schools,” held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
The communiqué issued at the end of the forum was read by LAPO’s Head of Corporate Communication, Ms Eniola Oluranti.
The forum, which brought together stakeholders from the education, public health, water and sanitation sectors, government institutions, civil society organisations and development agencies, examined challenges affecting the provision and sustainability of WASH services in Nigerian schools.
In the communiqué, the stakeholders observed that inadequate access to safe water and sanitation exposes children to preventable health risks, disrupts learning and undermines their dignity and educational development.
They stressed that safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene facilities were essential components of a conducive learning environment and critical to improving educational outcomes.
The communiqué identified poor maintenance of existing infrastructure, inadequate budgetary allocations and weak institutional accountability as major obstacles to sustainable WASH services in schools.
It noted that boreholes, toilets and other sanitation facilities frequently become unusable because of insufficient operational funding, inadequate maintenance arrangements and unclear responsibility for repairs.
The forum emphasised that the challenge extended beyond constructing facilities to ensuring that they remained functional, accessible and safe for pupils.
The stakeholders also was concerned about the disproportionate impact of inadequate sanitation on adolescent girls, particularly the absence of private toilets and appropriate menstrual hygiene facilities, which could contribute to absenteeism and interrupted education.
Children with disabilities were similarly identified as disadvantaged when school WASH facilities were inaccessible or unsuitable for their needs.
To address these challenges, the forum recommended that every public school should have a clearly designated institution responsible for its water, sanitation and hygiene services, with defined obligations and timelines for resolving faults and service disruptions.
It also called for dedicated maintenance plans and identifiable recurrent budgetary allocations for all school WASH projects to ensure their long-term sustainability.
The communiqué urged governments and development partners to shift their assessment of WASH interventions from the number of facilities constructed to the proportion that remained safe, functional, accessible and available for daily use.
It further recommended the establishment of publicly accessible records showing the operational status of school WASH facilities and identifying the institutions responsible for their maintenance.
The stakeholders advocated regular inspections, performance reviews and effective monitoring systems to ensure that facilities remained operational and reported faults received prompt attention.
They also called for greater participation by parents, school-based management committees, community organisations and civil society groups in monitoring facilities, reporting breakdowns and demanding corrective action.
On gender inclusion, the forum urged governments and relevant stakeholders to provide school sanitation facilities that guarantee privacy and safety, alongside adequate menstrual hygiene support for girls and appropriate access for children with disabilities.
The communiqué further called for stronger collaboration among federal, state and local governments, education authorities, water and sanitation agencies, school administrators and development partners to eliminate gaps in responsibility and improve service delivery.
It recommended that WASH services be integrated into school infrastructure planning and education policy implementation, particularly efforts to improve enrolment, attendance, retention and learning outcomes.
The stakeholders stressed that the success of school WASH interventions should ultimately be measured by their actual benefits to pupils rather than the number of projects completed.
They urged the Federal Government, state governments, local government authorities, development partners, school administrators, civil society organisations, parents and communities to translate the forum’s recommendations into concrete action.
The communiqué reaffirmed that safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene were indispensable to children’s health, dignity and educational development.
It also commended LAPO for sustaining its Annual Development Forum as a platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange and advocacy on critical national development issues.
The forum concluded that the ultimate measure of progress would be whether Nigerian schoolchildren could consistently access and use safe, functional, inclusive and sustainable WASH facilities in a dignified environment.