In a country with one of the largest economies in Africa, why are we still battling an archaic disease like cholera? Every time cholera rears its head in Nigeria, we confront more than the bacteria Vibrio cholerae—we confront the systemic failures in governance, infrastructure, and public health that allow this preventable disease to persist. How is it that a nation boasting significant oil revenues, advanced technological sectors, and international medical partnerships cannot put an end to a disease eradicated or controlled in many other parts of the world?
Nigeria’s cholera outbreaks are not just a health crisis but a mirror reflecting deep socio-economic and political problems. Cholera is not a complex disease. It thrives in environments lacking clean water and sanitation, spreads through fecal contamination, and causes severe diarrhea and dehydration that can be fatal if untreated. The remedy? Basic public health interventions: clean water, proper sewage systems, and timely treatment. These solutions are neither revolutionary nor expensive. In fact, these are the very fundamentals of public health.
So, why does Nigeria, with its wealth and resources, continue to experience cholera outbreaks year after year?
The short answer: cholera isn’t Nigeria’s problem—poor governance and lack of accountability are. The disease thrives where sanitation is neglected, water is polluted, and health infrastructure is lacking. Nigeria’s persistent cholera outbreaks are less about the disease and more about the chronic failures of governance at every level.
When the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) issues its yearly cholera warnings, it feels like a predictable ritual. We brace for news reports on thousands of infections and hundreds of avoidable deaths. Yet, behind these statistics lies a more disturbing truth: cholera is a failure of infrastructure as much as it is a medical condition.
Nigeria’s water and sanitation infrastructure are in a state of disrepair, particularly in rural areas. According to UNICEF, only Only 10% of the population have access to complete basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services. These statistics are not just troubling; they’re deadly in a cholera-prone country.
In urban centers like Lagos, where water systems should be better managed, cholera outbreaks have still occurred. Broken pipes, erratic water supply, and contamination due to poor waste disposal mean that even residents of cities are not spared. It’s not that we don’t have the technology or resources to solve these issues—it’s that we’ve failed to prioritize them.
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Local government officials, responsible for providing essential services like waste management and clean water, often divert public funds into private pockets. Meanwhile, at the federal level, funding for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs is either insufficient or misappropriated. The root of Nigeria’s cholera problem is corruption as much as it is bacteria.
Nigeria has the wealth, the experts, and the knowledge to solve cholera, yet it remains shackled by an unwillingness to commit to basic public health. The answer lies in how public health is prioritized. In Nigeria, health is often an afterthought, discussed only in crises and during outbreaks. The absence of long-term planning and sustained investment means we remain trapped in a vicious cycle. A lack of political will has left us vulnerable to diseases that should no longer be a threat.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of cholera in Nigeria is the lack of focus on environmental health. While global health organizations and local governments emphasize treatment and vaccination efforts, few discuss the urgent need for a national overhaul of environmental hygiene practices. Cholera outbreaks cannot be solved by medical interventions alone—they require fundamental changes in how we manage our environment.
Consider the sprawling urban slums and overcrowded settlements in some parts of Nigeria. These areas are often completely disconnected from municipal water supplies and waste disposal systems, forcing residents to rely on polluted rivers, wells, and unsanitary open pits. Garbage piles up in public spaces, breeding grounds for disease, and yet the federal and state governments offer little in the way of sanitation services.
We should be talking less about cholera vaccines and more about garbage trucks and sanitation reform. Nigeria needs to engage in a national conversation about its neglected environmental health sector—because no matter how many cholera vaccines we roll out, unless we fix the environment where cholera thrives, the outbreaks will continue.
To break this cycle, Nigeria must begin to view cholera as more than just a health issue. It is an issue of infrastructure, public accountability, and community ownership.
1. Prioritizing Sanitation and Water Infrastructure
First, we must start with the basics: a nationwide commitment to water and sanitation reform. The federal government must dedicate specific, transparent funding to improving water systems, especially in rural areas. Every local government should have a public sanitation plan, monitored and enforced by citizens and independent bodies to reduce corruption.
2. Public-Private Partnerships for Clean Water
Nigeria’s corporate sector, particularly oil and gas companies, has a vested interest in a healthy workforce. Partnerships between private companies and government can help to finance clean water projects, leveraging both private capital and public responsibility.
3. Strengthening Community Ownership and Education
Empowering local communities to take ownership of their sanitation needs can drive lasting change. Community-led total sanitation (CLTS) programs have been successful in reducing open defecation in parts of Africa. Through a combination of local leadership, education, and small-scale financial investment, communities can become the first line of defense against cholera.
4. Accountability at All Levels
There must be a concerted effort to hold public officials accountable for mismanagement. Too often, the funds allocated for water and sanitation are misused. Anti-corruption agencies need to focus on this area, making it clear that cholera deaths resulting from infrastructural neglect will no longer be tolerated.
Nigeria should no longer be battling cholera. Not in 2024, not in the 21st century, and not with the resources we possess. The persistence of cholera in Nigeria is not just a public health crisis; it is a moral failing. The solutions are clear, attainable, and affordable—but they require political will, transparency, and collective action.
Cholera in Nigeria isn’t a medical emergency; it’s an emergency of governance. By addressing the infrastructural and political failures that allow the disease to thrive, we can finally consign this disease to the history books. Let this be the last year that cholera dominates our headlines. It’s time for Nigeria to take ownership of its health, its environment, and its future.