Giving Compass' Take:

• Nigerian singer, Wizkid, is bringing awareness and accountability to the issue of sanitation as a barrier in Nigeria, particularly for girls and their education. 

• According to the author, the Nigerian government has not shown much interest up until now that it would like to invest in better sanitation and quality education funds. What will change now that Nigerian figures are demanding action?

• Read about why girls education is so important and provides a layer of protection. 

Wizkid, the Nigerian singer and global superstar, is serious about making his voice heard when it comes to improving education and sanitation for everyone — especially girls and children — in Nigeria.

In a series of tweets, Wizkid called on the governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, to invest in “eliminating barriers for Nigerians”, which starts with quality education and proper sanitation for everyone.

Wizkid is referring to Global Citizen’s campaign to ensure that every Nigerian has adequate access to sanitation through a proposed nation-wide sanitation fund, which is one of the first steps to ensuring that every Nigerian child is provided with a proper education.

More than 70 million Nigerians still lack access to clean drinking water, and rates of open defecation are still dangerously high.

Among other things, this lack of access puts many Nigerian girls in the difficult position of deciding between managing their periods at school in shared toilets and often experiencing damaging stigmas, or going without school and putting themselves at a disadvantage.

The Nigerian federal government has indicated that it wants to establish the fund, worth up to USD $90 million, but that Nigerian state governments must be ready to split the bill if the fund is to be established. Up to now, Nigerian state governors haven’t shown much interest in the fund, despite its huge importance to education, health, economic growth, and dignity for Nigerians . That’s why Wizkid is raising his voice on behalf of those in Nigeria who cannot.

Read the full article about sanitation and hygiene in Nigeria by William Naughton-Gravette at Global Citizen