The sun shone brightly in the morning sky over Ajegunle, a Lagos suburb. The weather was just right for celebration. All roads led to an area in Ajegunle, popularly christened “Dustbin Estate”.
It was day the first modern public convience in the community, donated by LOTS Charity Foundation under the sponsorship of Sahara Group Limited, was unveiled. It came as a welcome development by residents.
As visitors rode into the community, the sights and smell of stench hit hard at their noses. Kids scampered into the streets unhindered not minding the horns of bikes and cars passing by. As the visitors went deeper into the place, they met other shockers.
It was not only littered with refuse, the debris seems to form a major building component in the area. Behind the community is an array of makeshift toilets made from zinc and wood (without any roofing), line-up along the canal.
As bizarre as they seem, those structures serve as bathroom and toilet to more than 10,000 families, it was learnt. For years, most residents, like Godwin James, who live there with his parents and siblings, resulted to free-ranged system where human wastes were disposed indiscriminately – oftentimes into the canal. And because the place is set on filth, contractorsobserved that it is hard to sink a water system convenience. Hence, it is expensive to build. Scared of the cost, despite it is unhygienic, the makeshift structures came as an easy way out for landlords and tenants in the area.
“Although we have some block houses with toilets that have water-system, they are few. Even though people may not like it, they have no choice, that is why they, including myself, bath and ease ourselves there,” Godwin, who has lived all his life in the place, said.
Given the chance, he said, he would have wished it away. However, like a large cross, hanging on his neck and threatening to suffocate him, he is struggling to survive amid abject poverty and squalor. “We are really suffering here. Everywhere you turn is poverty. From the day one is born, it has been struggle all the way,” Godwin, who is in his 20s, lamented.
His tale of woe is the same with many at an area in Ajegunle, popularly christened “Dustbin Estate”, where debris forms a major building component. But Godwin has remained undaunted. The vagaries of life have not only made him street-wise but also creative. “We may be poor but we are not thieves,” he said. “We have talents but nobody to sponsor us. The challenges of life have made us wise; and because we have nobody to turn to we devise creative ways of doing things. Although there might be some who are not decent here, it should not be used to qualify us because you have bad people everywhere, including in VGC. If we have help we would do better,” he added.
Despite growing up in heart of “Dustbin Estate”, Godwin is determined to make something out of life. Hence, he is finding creative ways of surviving. To make his life better, sometimes he is into bricklaying; at other times he works as a labourer or as a clearing and forwarding agent. His being creative soon paid off.
He was one of the local hands used to build the modern public toilet, consisting of five toilets and five bathrooms. In fact, he was the one that dug out the debries to give room for the foundation, he told The Nation with pride, alongside other jobs.
Aside Godwin, the leaders and other residents said it came as a welcome development for the community.
While noting that there has never been any like it before, the Chairman, Community Landlord Association, Raufu Olaiya, said it is an eye-opener to the leaders on what ought to have been done. He said: “This toilet has brought progress to this community because it is the first of its kind. Now, it has set an example for us leaders in the community, which we also need to build such in our homes. We would call a general meeting of tenants and landlords on its maintenance. We would teach our people how to use it. There would be strict monitoring by the community because if the builders/sponsor sees that after two/three years the community is still maintaining it they would want to do more. We would ensure we keep the environment clean and facility safe. We thank LOTS and its sponsors for their efforts.”
The project took three years to plan and a month and some weeks to build, according to LOTS. According to LOTS founder, Miss Tolu Sangosanya, it was inspired by the complaints of the children the foundation is caring for in the area. Ironically, it was initially opposed by some members of the community. “Ï found that the problem of Nigeria is not just the leadership but the people. I learnt that for change to happen, everything that people do not understand, they would fight – even if it is for their own good. It took some convincing through creating awareness on the benefits of using water system as against using chamber pots, paper or nylon and throwing it into the canal,” she said.
Although it was challenging putting the project together, LOTS founder, Miss Tolu Sangosanya said, it was a long-awaited dream, adding that it is in line with LOTS treasure housing project meant to give the people in the area a better lease of life.
“We dreamt about it and it is done through the help of Sahara Group, sponsors of the project. Now our children at LOTS and their parents who live in the area can have a hygienic start off the day. This shows we can change the face of this country if we put our hearts to it. We hold development in our hands and we can make it happen at LOTS. However, it was not easy. Even with what we’ve provided right now, which is five toilets and five bathrooms, it cannot cater for all the community because you have over 10000 people living here. Most of the structures accommodate 10 families with about five people in each, so in a building you have about 50 people. If you multiply that by the number of house which is more than 200, using 200 as a peg you would have about 10,000 people already so, you are talking about over 100000 families would need to have water system toilet build for them which would need a lot of funds and commitment. But as I have always said: Start where your hand is and continue to build. LOTS can only do the best that we can with the help of Sahara Group Limited; but there is room for others, including individuals, charities, corporate organisation and, especially the government to do more. ”
According to Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager, Sahara Group Limited, Mr Babatomiwa Adesida, the project is part of its CSR. He said the firm has been in partnership with foundation for a long time, adding that they are happy to put smiles on the faces of the people in the community.
At the event were Financial Controller Sahara Energy Resource Ltd, Mrs Olubunmi Olukoju and Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) supervisors Mr Olasoji Fagbola and Mrs Nkemdilim Oguchi, among others.
