No fewer than 4,778 Nigerians have died of cholera between 2020 and 2024 despite billions of naira and several international interventions channelled into fighting the waterborne disease.
Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) revealed that in 2021 alone, cholera claimed 3,604 lives out of over 111,000 suspected cases across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory, making it the deadliest outbreak in recent years.
The death toll has persisted, with over 300 lives lost so far in 2025. Of these, Zamfara State alone accounted for 179 deaths out of 12,052 suspected cases as of September, while Bauchi recently confirmed 58 new deaths from 258 fresh infections across 14 local government areas.
Cholera, caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium, spreads rapidly through contaminated food and water, often during the rainy season when flooding worsens poor sanitation.
Victims suffer acute diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration which can kill within hours if left untreated.
For many Nigerian families, cholera has left permanent scars.Musa Aliyu, a resident of Bauchi, lost his 5-year-old son, Muhammad, in 2021 after his wife and three children contracted the disease at a wedding.
“My youngest daughter first got infected, then two other children, as well as their mother. Unfortunately, Muhammad did not survive. His death still haunts us four years later,” Aliyu said.
In the same year, a Bauchi widow, Fatima, died of cholera within hours of showing symptoms, leaving behind seven children who had earlier lost their father.
“She was fine the day before. In less than four hours of purging and vomiting, she was gone,” her sister, Anisha Saidu, recalled.
In Benue, Zainab Yusuf also recounted how she lost one of her children when cholera struck her household.
“I was diagnosed alongside three of my children. Sadly, one of them died. If not for the state government and WHO intervention, all of us would have perished,” she said.
The fatalities come despite repeated government promises and huge investments. Former President Muhammadu Buhari declared a state of emergency in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector in 2018, followed by a $700 million World Bank loan in 2021 for water projects nationwide.
The United Nations, WHO and UNICEF also donated millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of doses of oral cholera vaccines, while Nigeria itself allocates millions annually in its budget for cholera prevention and WASH facilities.
Yet, experts say the impact has been minimal. UNICEF’s Regional Director, Gilles Fagninou, warned in July that Nigeria now ranks as the second most affected country in West and Central Africa, with children most at risk.
“Flooding, poor hygiene and unsafe water are fuelling the crisis. Young children are particularly vulnerable to severe dehydration and death,” Fagninou stated.
Health experts argue that throwing money at the problem without community involvement and long-term infrastructure will only lead to recurring outbreaks.
Dr Rotimi Adesanya, a Lagos-based public health physician, stressed that solutions must be culturally sensitive. “If you install modern toilets in rural areas without community input, people may reject them. Pit latrines may be more acceptable,” he said.
Prof. Agwu Nkwa Amadi of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, urged a shift from “short-term emergency responses to long-term structural solutions.”
He recommended sustainable WASH infrastructure, behavioural change campaigns on handwashing, and state-level cholera task forces with accountability.
Dr Aminu Sulaiman of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa College of Medicine, Bauchi, added: “We must stop open defecation and clean our gutters. Flood water carries faecal matter into homes and farms, contaminating food and water.”
Earlier this year, the Federal Government launched a five-year National Strategic Plan of Action on Cholera Control (2025–2029), pledging $124 million to reduce annual deaths by 90% and lower fatality rates to below 1% by 2029.
Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said: “Cholera has been eradicated in other parts of the world. Why is it still killing Nigerians? We must act collectively to change this reality.”
But for families like Musa Aliyu’s, whose children never returned from a simple wedding ceremony, government promises are not enough. “Until we see clean water in our homes, cholera will keep burying our loved ones,” he lamented.
Source : Daily Trust
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