Politicians in Nigeria can strengthen their electoral chances by prioritising sanitation and responding to citizens’ demand for basic services, global sanitation advocate Prof Jack Sim said on Tuesday.
Sim said public health infrastructure, particularly sanitation, should be treated as a key political issue capable of influencing voter behaviour if properly prioritised.
He spoke in an interview after presenting a paper titled Beyond Resources: Investing in People, Building Nigeria’s Future at a one-day seminar in Abuja organised by the Office of the Civil Service of the Federation in collaboration with the Public Education Works Initiative and the The Star Advantage Network.
Sim said poor sanitation, particularly open defecation, remained a major public health challenge affecting disease control, environmental safety and human dignity, but argued that it could be eliminated if it became politically rewarding for leaders.
“If sanitation becomes something that wins votes, then politicians will act,” he said, adding that sustained citizen demand would push governments to prioritise sanitation reforms.
He said many of the challenges facing developing countries had already been solved elsewhere, stressing that Nigeria could adopt and adapt proven global solutions across sectors such as health, education, energy, housing and logistics.
Sim also called for a shift towards practical, solution-driven approaches to development, saying many public challenges could be converted into business opportunities if tackled by people focused on implementation rather than criticism.
He cited Singapore as an example, noting that the country was once poor but was transformed by a small group of committed individuals who drove its development.
He urged Nigeria to prioritise local refining of its natural resources to create jobs and value-added by-products, rather than exporting them in raw form.
