London group unveils water facility for Lagos slum community

London group unveils water facility for Lagos slum community.

The London-based international charity, IA-Foundation has inaugurated a borehole in Makoko, a sprawling slum in the Lagos heartland.

The unveiling of the facility is part of activities lined up for the community by the charity, to turnaround socio-economic activities in the town, which is home to thousands of low-income people.

Inaugurating the facility in Lagos on Sunday, the Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Mrs Ibironke Adeagbo, described the borehole installation as a turning point for Makoko residents. She, however, did not put a figure to the cost of the project.

Represented by Mr Diran Famakinwa, Adeagbo said the foundation regarded the project as a fulfillment of the group’s mandate of affecting less-privileged people in Nigerian communities.

Adeagbo lamented that some social issues such as a lack of access to portable water were forcing lots of children out of school.

She said: ”this is the situation that has compelled IA-Foundation to embark on providing water for some run-down communities.”

She expressed her optimism that the water facility would assist the community, adding that ”it will make children to be in school, instead of using school hours every day to go in search of water”.

Speaking on behalf of the community, a resident, Mr Joshua Zannu, expressed the excitement of the residents for the inauguration of the borehole by the foundation.

Zannu, who is also the Founder of Mawumadoka Foundation, a group in Makoko, said: ”portable water had hitherto, been hard to find in Makoko, posing health hazards to the residents”.

He lauded the initiatives of international groups in providing amenities in Makoko, saying, ”the residents of the community are ever hopeful of a turnaround in the difficult condition of the slum.”

Zannu said that the borehole would go a long way in reducing the menace of out-of-school children in the community.

IA-Foundation, which is active in Nigeria has been campaigning to end the out-of-school crisis in the West African country, where millions of kids, especially the girl-child are still having limited access to education.

On Feb. 12, the group embarked on a 10-km walk from Agege to Ikeja, north of Lagos, to raise awareness on its community-focused activities to touch lives in Lagos.

The group also plans a fund-raiser on Feb. 26, to raise national and global awareness on the out-of-school children crisis, with a view to getting the Federal Government to give the problem the attention it deserves.