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  • From Makoko ghetto to Stockholm, Sweden

    From Makoko ghetto to Stockholm, Sweden

    • How Nigeria schoolgirls dazzled the world

    Though of different parentage, Elizabeth Korolo and Hajara Abdulsalam share two heritages in common: Makoko and Wesley Girls Senior School, Lagos. In a feat that stunned the nation and made a strong international statement, the girls invented a water purifying device that not only emerged best from among their mates in Nigeria, but also made an impression at a global competition in Stockholm, Sweden. Gboyega Alaka spent time with them.

    Makoko community along the Lagos lagoon bank in mainland Lagos is one community looked down upon by many in the commercial city and even beyond because of the quality of life of those who live there. At best a coastal slum, Makoko is reputed for its squalid lifestyle and is home for the extremely poor – no thanks to government’s near total negligence of the community. As a result, most empowerment NGOs/CSO efforts are directed to it in Lagos, as images from it serve as veritable premises for funds from donor agencies interested in raising standard of living of indigent people.

    Recently, however, cheery stories have been coming out of the community, with two standing out. One is of Mary John, formerly a Makoko Community teacher, whose longing for a university education and wish to become the first TV presenter to come out of her community in a previous BBC interview caught the eye of Slum2school, an NGO, which subsequently adopted and sponsored her through Benson Idahosa University.

    In that trending BBC video, Miss John could be seen proudly adorning her convocation gown in a canoe ride on the filthy Makoko water, narrating her success story – how “You can hardly see a graduate in my community” and how she will now be the first TV presenter from her community, having graduated with a 2.1.

    Her claim in that video that one could hardly see a university graduate from her community may however not be entirely true. An interview with Mr. Ayeseteminikan Bawo, who has run Ken Ade Private School, Makoko for well over three decades in the community, and whose three children who passed through the school have graduate in various disciplines and doing well in their chosen disciplines, carpets that claim (See interview with Aiyeseteminikan).

    Wesley Girls to Stockholm, Sweden

    However, by far the biggest story out of that community in recent years would be that of the duo of Korolo Elizabeth and Abdulsalam Hajara both of Wesley Girls Senior School, Yaba, who emerged winners of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize Nigeria competition, held in Abuja, where they defeated representatives of schools from across the country, and won the sole ticket to represent Nigeria at the grand finale in Stockholm, Sweden with their Bi-thermal water purifying device.

    Read Also: Makoko schools take delivery of support materials

    In Sweden, they got to showcase their device and rub shoulders with representatives of 32 other countries, and even though they didn’t come home with the biggest prize, their innovative device won global acclaim, even emerging as one of the most viewed online.

    Both in SS3, the girls share a similar background of Makoko, which they conceded played a huge part in their invention. While Korolo still lives there with her parents, an unfortunate twist of fate in the form of death of her dad (mum had earlier passed) uprooted Abdulsalam from the community two years ago. But the memories and experiences remained with her, culminating in the idea that birthed the device.

    Both girls narrated to The Nation how difficulty in accessing water for basic washing and cleaning chores proved a great task, not to talk of accessing potable water for drinking.

    According to Korolo Elizabeth, “In Makoko in general, we suffer from inadequate water supply and lack of drinkable water. To get water for basic washing and cleaning is always hard, and even harder to get drinkable water. This has been a very big challenge to my family as a whole, even to my partner who also grew up there until very recently. So we brought up this idea to help our families and the community in general.”

    Abdulsalam Hajara complemented Korolo’s statement, when she said, “It’s not just tough getting water, the kind of impure water we eventually access even gives back sickness to us. So when this project was brought to us, we took it as an opportunity to make a difference. Instead of giving the excuse of bad water in Makoko and looking to escape to a better place, we felt like let’s help solve the problem.”

    There were several stages on the road to their historic feat, Korolo explained.

    “The first stage was the write-up  stage. During that stage, they chose three schools from Lagos State; other schools also emerged from other states across the country. It was my partner, Abdulsalam, who went for the semi final in Abuja. There, we won at the national level and got the chance to go to Stockholm in Sweden for the competition proper.”

    Both girls explained that their Chemistry teacher, Mr. Wasiu Oyewale passed the message, which came via Lagos Education District IV office, and grouped them in twos, with a mandate to come up with ideas.

    “It turned out that we came up with the best idea,” Abdulsalam chipped in.

    And thus began their fairy journey to national acclaim, and a trip to the Scandinavian country, where they also got international recognition.

    The Bi-thermal Water Distillation Device

    “The name of our wining device is Bi-thermal water distillation device. We call it bi-thermal because it uses two processes. The first is filtration through the solar panel, while the second is distillation using the Fresnel lens,” Abdulsalam stated.

    “First, all water is purifiable. Science teaches us that; as long as you follow the steps. Our device has two processes: the filtration and the distillation. Distillation actually kills all micro-organisms in water 100 percent; but there are some big particles in impure water, so we have to go through the filtration process first, where all objects like stones, sands and other particles are taken out. It is after that the water is passed into the distillation box,” she explained further.

    On the materials used in filtering the water, both girls chorused: “We used activated charcoal, fibre, gravel, and sharp sand. We set up the layers, which comprise the fibre, the activated charcoal, the sharp sand, the gravel; and then we have the fibre again at the topmost layer. Once this is compete, you then pour the impure water into it. The layer, of course, is set on a bowl or bucket, at the end of which there is a tap, from where the filtered water is passed into the distillation box.”

    But why activated charcoal, a lot of people perceive charcoal as dirt;

    ” The activated charcoal is to remove the impurities and odour that may come with the water,” Korolo explained.

    “We found that charcoal could do that during our research on Google.” Abdulsalam complemented.

    “Note that the filtered water is not one hundred percent clean. It still has some micro-organisms that the eyes cannot see, so the distillation process takes care of the micro-organisms one hundred percent. It is then that the water is pure and drinkable,” both explained.

    Explaining the distillation process, Korolo said: “Our distillation box uses the idea of boiling water. It’s like when you boil water or say you’re cooking rice; while the water or rice is being heated, the vapour that comes out is actually distilled water, but since it is hitting the cover of the pot, you can’t t really track it. So what our distillation device does is that it uses the distillation method but with the help of direct solar energy. So we use the Fresnel lens to convert solar energy into the box to heat up the water. The Fresnel lens is a concave lens that converts solar energy directly at a point into the impure water to distill it. It also uses the solar panel with the DC element that is placed under the box to heat up the water. Those are the two methods of solar energy that we use in heating up our water for distillation.”

    Are they saying one could go to any source, including the dirty polluted water under the Makoko Bridge, scoop and put it through this two processes and it becomes drinkable? This reporter asked in disbelieve.

    “Yes, absolutely. Because distilled water is the purest form of water; even purer than borehole water,” the young water scientists answered in unison.

    Great effort and achievement no doubt, but there is the challenge of quantity.

    To this Abdulsalam replied: “It depends on the size of our distillation box, and the size of the Fresnel lens we use in distilling.”

    The girls are also aware of their limitations as students in terms of producing larger quantities of the device to reach their Makoko neighbours, but expressed hope that the government or any other persons or establishment would step in to fill this void.

    Gratitude

    Both inventors have great words for their Education District IV, for giving them good teachers at Wesley Girls Senior Secondary school; for their principal, Mrs. Adeola Bankole; and for their Chemistry teacher, Mr. Wasiu Oyewale. They also expressed appreciation to their HOD Science, Mrs. Rahaman, their schoolmates, and of course, Wesley Old Girls Association (WOGA), for their massive support, which ensured they had all materials for the device.

    Most importantly, they expressed gratitude to their parents for choosing Wesley Girls for them.

    Said Korolo, “My parents were ecstatic when they heard that I was traveling to Sweden. The truth is I had no idea I would be attending Wesley Girls, because my seniors all went to private schools; so when they enrolled me here, a public school, I wasn’t so sure. But here we are. It has been a very good experience and I’m grateful to my parents for their choice. And to Wesley Girls? Let me just say, I am indebted.”

    And Abdulsalam said: “I lost my dad two years ago, I’d already lost my mum earlier, so I now stay with my sister in another area. But I’m grateful to my dad, who insisted that I came to Wesley Girls for my senior secondary education. I used to tell him that I’d love to go to a federal school; my senior ones all passed out from this school, so I wanted something different, but my dad was like ‘It is when a school is good that students want to avoid it; so to Wesley you shall go; and you will make me proud.’ So I am so happy that I have made him proud even in death.”

    We instill in them the zeal to be the best

    – Principal Mrs. Adeola Bankole

    “First I’ll give the credit to my TGPS (Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary), Mr. Segun Osinaike; he’s a performer and he doesn’t joke with performance. With him, P is for performance and he has instilled this in all the principals working with him; so in our different schools, we want to replicate that P that deals with performance. We call our district a grooming district, where we do it right and get it right. Here we’re out to instill the zeal to be the best in our girls. That was why when the message about this competition came, I said to my team, let’s do this. And it started like a joke. To God be the glory, we came back with the top award in Abuja, and of course our girls went off to Stockholm.

    “Credit must also be given to our teachers. The Chemistry teacher, Mr. Wasiu Oyewale did a lot. The girls had the idea; the teacher brought the idea to me, and I said, let’s run it. He went all the way to get all the required materials. You know it had not been done before, so we had to start from the scratch; we made mistakes, we corrected, until we had the final product.

    “We also worked on their fluency, especially on how they would represent the school well internationally. Don’t forget they were going to meet with students from top countries of the world. I told them ‘don’t be intimidated by anybody’s accent or yours, just get there and do your best’.

    “Our old girls association, WOGA, also played a great role. We sold the idea to them and they supported in every way: financially, morally; they even came physically to prep them up.

    We held our own among big nations

    –Chemistry teacher, Wasiu Oyewale

    “I feel fulfilled. And I’m proud of the girls. I only joined this service four years ago, and with this level of achievement, I think it’s a plus for me and for my CV. And to have the girls go to Stockholm, Sweden to represent Nigeria? That is a thing of joy for me, not only now, but forever. If this could happen so early in my career, it means I can still do a lot more for the service.

    “The final proper in Stockholm was very competitive. According to their website, 43 countries registered for the competition, but the total number of countries that attended was 32. We had countries like the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, but we held our own. In fact our project turned out to be one of the most viewed, which is a plus; although we didn’t have the highest votes.

    “Altogether, three awards were given: the Stockholm Award, the Diplomatic Award and the People’s Choice Award.”

    We give our teachers a lot of encouragement to self-improve

    –Olusegun Osinaike, Tutor General/Permanent Secretary Education District IV

    Mr. Olusegun O Osinaike, Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary Education District IV, which covers Lagos public schools in Apapa, Mainland and Surulere LGA, commended the teachers at Wesley Senior Girls Secondary school for what he described as ‘tremendous’ achievement.

    “Without doubt, their teachers played tremendous part in that feat and we must commend them. Aside the exposure, aside the training and retraining that we give our teachers, they are also given a lot of encouragement towards self improvement. There is this Lagos State Skills Management platform, where teachers can log onto and go for some courses that can update them. It is a Lagos State-driven thing and it is technologically driven. That is why we can produce global students; students who can compete with other students around the world.

    “At Education District IV, we run a harmonisation and standardisation of programmes and events system, such at every point in time, whatever they are doing in School A is what they are doing in School B, C and so on. If for instance it is time for Spelling Bee, all schools under the district must key in at the same time. This ensures that we produce the same quality of students across board.

    Osinaike proceeded to show proof his statement by opening a phone device, which indeed showed that the schools were running the same programme at the time of this reporter’s visit.

    “We also get live reports of teachers’ attendance every day (Again, he opened his phone to show proof). This has made the attendance of teachers to improve. So, in the comfort of our office, we’re able to see what is going on in the different schools, although we still do physical monitoring. We are injecting use of technology into our system.”

  • Affordable healthcare for Makoko residents

    The Therapists Without Borders Foundation (TWBF) at the weekend visited Makoko to provide therapeutic services, personal hygiene training, and distribute materials that will promote personal hygiene to the people.

    The visit was part of events lined up to mark the Occupational Therapy and Autism Awareness month worldwide.

    Over 50 women between the ages of 15 and 70 benefitted from this outreach. Volunteers and workers of the organisation had one-on-one lectures with residents on the benefits of personal hygiene.

    Items distributed include foodstuff, toiletries (sanitary pad, soap, tooth brush, and paste, antiseptic solution, tissue paper, and antibacterial detergent).

    Founder of TWBF Dr Tosin Emmanuel said the outreach was the first of several programs the foundation has lined up to mark the Occupational Therapy and Autism Awareness month, celebrated worldwide every April.

    Emmanuel said she decided to take this outreach to Makoko area because “It is important to educate this community due to the decreased level of hygiene within their environment which increases the spread of diseases.

    “We targeted women and young girls because we believe that educating these women about the importance of proper personal hygiene will boost their self-confidence and esteem and also increase their knowledge on ways to reduce the spread of diseases within their homes and community.”

    Emmanuel was also concerned about the women’s inaccessibility to cheap medical care, and called on government and well-meaning Nigerians to partner the foundation and help these people get better access to medical care. “Due to the concerns of the women in the community about the cost of their medical services, TWBF will partner the nearby Aiyetoro Health Centre to assist with their primary check-up and immunisations in the future,” she added.

  • NGO donates 10 sewing machines, 400 mosquito nets to Makoko residents

    To eradicate poverty in Makoko community, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Marversity Foundation,has donated 10 sewing machines, 400 mosquito nets to residents  of the Lagos slum.

    The event, themed: ‘Makoko Tour’ held on Saturday, December 15th, 2018 at the Whanyinna Nursery and Primary School, the only school in the water front area. The event was attended by      residents including a representative of Baale of Makoko, Taiwo Shemede.

    Donating the items, the founder of Marversity Foundation, Cosmic Kalu Macduff, said that we do not have to depend on the government before we can get change. We can always make a change from where we found ourselves, where we sleep and wake up, in our street and our communities.

    “I believe that when we have real people, we create real stories and together we can make real change,” he said.

    He explained that his vision has  belief in humanity and wants to be a change agent in Nigeria, Africa and across the globe.

    Read Also: Makoko residents protest invasion

    “Having spent one year and  a half here in Lagos State, I said to myself, I need a place where I can make great impact on people’s lives and I discovered Makoko, Yaba, Lagos. So, I decided to set up a competition. We were able to select 10 beneficiaries by picking the most penurious ones who have the passion, determination and commitments towards their work but lack equipment to stand as entrepreneur especially in tailoring.

    “Today, we are presenting 10 sewing machines to the winners of our competition as a reward for their hard work and also distribute  400 mosquito nets  to  the residents. And we thank God for allowing us to be an instrument of change to these people.”

    Macduff added that ‘Makoko Tour’ is a spiritual movement of love that is geared  towards  bridging  the gap between skill acquisitions and financial empowerment and we are not leaving them. We have put in place practical measures to monitor and ensure they don’t sell the machines rather they use it to create their own wealth.

    Some of the winners include, Zawwoo John, Iwamu Idowu, Babatunde Paul, Dossou Katerine, Blessing Apety amongst others.

    Responding, the representative of Baale of Makoko, Mr Taiwo Shemede, thanked the organization for its kind gesture and for fulfilling their promises to  his people. We have to say big thanks to Marversity Foundation because no other NGO has  given us sewing machines . What many of them give are mosquito nets.

    “The first time they came to meet Baale, saying they wanted  to donate sewing machines to youths who are learning tailoring but didn’t  have machine, it was  just like a joke because when other people  promise to be back,  we won’t see them again. Marversity has proven they are real, we give kudos to them,” Shomede said.

  • Group empowers youths on skills acquisition

    Call to Love Initiative, a foundation focused on social development, has again demonstrated its commitment towards capacity building and empowerment of young ones by organising the second edition of its free Summer Camp for children, in Lagos recently. The highly engaging, impactful and exciting week-long training session was tagged: ‘Making a Difference with Education.’

    It provided a platform for pupils from low cost primary schools in Makoko, a suburb in Lagos, to learn various life impacting activities. The 112 beneficiaries underwent practical trainings in coding and robotics, vocational skills (such as sewing, bead-making, painting), entrepreneurship, leadership skills, etiquette, public speaking, team orientation and organisation skills facilitated by experts. This is aimed at effectively engaging and nurturing the young ones with requisite skills to enable them grow successfully through education.

    Speaking on this year’s Summer Camp, the Founder and Chief Executive of Call To Love Initiative, Mrs. Wunmi Benson-Ajia, explained that it provided a veritable platform and unique opportunity for stakeholders, such as mentors, teachers, technical and vocational education specialists to come together and create a learning environment which reforms the beneficiaries, and ensures a more wholesome education.

    According to her, “The ultimate goal of the Skills Summer Camp is to cultivate a pipeline of high-performing beneficiaries who will be provided with various mentorship and scholarship opportunities through the course of their education. It is worthy of note that prior to this year’s Summer Camp over 70 per cent of the children have never used a computer nor learned any vocational skills.’’

    Call to Love Initiative was founded in 2010 with a mission to enrich lives through social development. It supports under-privileged children by enhancing their access to impactful growth and balanced development and employing a targeted approach of interaction and delivery of projects that drive lasting solutions and contribute positively to transforming the development of beneficiaries.

    This year, the Summer Camp was made possible through the support of corporate partners like Oracle Academy which sponsored the Coding and Robotics classes by providing computers and training to the Camp facilitator; Nigerian Red Cross Society which provided the venue; Cadbury Nigeria which provided refreshments for the children; Biobak Kitchen which supported with provision of breakfast and lunch for all beneficiaries, Chutes and Ladders Limited which supported with renovation of the Camp Venue.

     

  • Access Bank CEO inspires Makoko Slum2School kids

    The Group Managing Director (GMD)/CEO, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe has visited the Adekunle High School’s Slum2School kids to celebrate this year’s Children’s Day with the students.

    The visit underscores the bank chief’s belief in the potential of the youths and opportunity for him to inspire the students.

    Wigwe shared his secret of success with the pupils while encouraging them to adopt the values of discipline and hard work in all their endeavours. He stated that young people need to imbibe the habit of saving while reiterating that the reason why many people do not reach their potential is that they choose to spend their finances on trivial things while not saving for the rainy day.

    He advised them to choose their friends carefully and not to compromise on excellence. “You cannot achieve success without hard work and excellence. In everything you do, always be ready to go the extra mile,” he said. “The biggest mistake anyone can do is to dream small, don’t let your present circumstances to ever determine your future. Don’t let anyone tell you your dreams are too big to be achieved. When Access Bank started it was a small bank compared to what it is now, but over the years we have stayed the course and succeeded in establishing its footprints across Nigeria and beyond.”

    There was also a question and answer session where the kids actively engaged Wigwe. When asked if he came from a privileged background, he answered saying he is from a humble background.

    According to him, his parents were civil servants but that did not stop him from striving for excellence. His passion for hard work and excellence saw him getting scholarships to study abroad and eventually becoming the Access Bank GMD.

    To wrap up the event, one of the students, Goodluck, a paternal orphan who makes slippers after school hours, decided to make a pair of slippers as gift  to Herbert, without expecting anything in return. Touched by this gesture, Wigwe, got a savings account opened in Goodluck’s name, and credited it with N100,000 to help him and his family, grow their shoe business.  Love, laughter, some teary moments, but importantly, hope, characterised Herbert Wigwe’s visit to slum to school. We wish the beautiful children of Slum2school and the world over, a Happy Children’s Day.  Let’s educate our kids; let’s give them a legacy.

  • Makoko residents protest invasion

    Some residents of Ori-Oke Alala in Makoko, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, yesterday stormed the state secretariat at Ikeja, over the May 10 invasion of their community by the police and task force on land grabbers.

    The protesters demanded that all those involved in the invasion in which four persons died be brought to justice.

    They carried placards, with inscriptions deploring the invasion.

    Led by the General Secretary, Ilaje National Alliance Movement, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, the protesters urged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to set up an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the incident.

    Omotehinse said the protest became necessary because the right of those attacked was violated.

    He claimed that since the incident, government had not reached out to the community.

    Omotehinse said 11 residents were still in hospital because of injuries sustained in the attack.

    He said those arrested were paraded as criminals, wondering what crime they committed since they have gone to court over the land in dispute.

    Special Adviser to the governor on Civic Engagement Benjamin Olabinjo said action had been taken on the matter. According to him, the governor had since set up a committee to look into the case.

    He asked them to be patient because the committee would soon reach out to them

  • Protesters want Ambode to probe Ilaje killings

    Hundreds of residents of Ilaje community in Makoko, Lagos on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest to the state House of Assembly over recent killings in the area.

    The protesters urged Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode and Lagos Assembly to probe the alleged killing of four persons in the community on May 10 by men of Lagos State Task Force.

    Addressing the leadership of the House, Mr Alex Omotehinse, spokesman for the protesters, said that the alleged murder of innocent persons by the police required government’s investigation to prevent break down of law and order.

    “Our protest is all about unlawful invasion, killing and maiming of our people by the policemen under the leadership of Jide Bakare, the Chairman, Lagos State Task Force on Land Grabbing.

    “We are not fighting on our land, Bakare led a team of policemen to Ori Oke and Ilaje Community, and invaded the communities, killing four people, while several others were injured.

    “The injured are in the hospitals with gun injuries. The Commissioner of Police said he was not aware of the operation, describing it as illegal.

    “The Lagos Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohinmi, had said that the command set up a committee and that the people involved had been arrested.

    “But surprisingly, those involved are still moving around freely and nothing has been done to them.

    “That’s why we call on the governor and the House of Assembly to set up an independent panel of enquiry so that those who are culpable would be brought to book.

    “As a matter of urgency, this matter must be addressed, we want the police to parade the culprits and stop aiding and abetting them,” he said.

    According to him, if the government failed to act, the Ilaje nation will rise to defend themselves, saying that they were peace-loving people.

    Omotehinse, General Secretary, Ilaje National Alliance Movement, said that the people wanted the arrest and prosecution of those who carried out the attack on the community.

    Omotehinshe, who said that the people had lost confidence in the police to carry out impartial investigation into the case, alleged that the police command was shielding the culprits.

    Also speaking, Mr Adeola Ilori, a human rights lawyer, said that he was pained that the state government had not paid a visit to the family of the victims.

    Ilori said that such attacks on defenceless citizens was not only a threat to the people, but also their future.

    Addressing the protesters, the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, who commended the protesters for peaceful conduct, said that the House would look into the matter.

    Obasa, who was represented by the Majority Leader of the House, Mr Sanai Agunbiade, said: “I want to assure you that this case will be presented to the Speaker.

    “All the issues you have raised are issues of importance and we will look into the matter. All I am telling you is that justice will be done on this matter.”

     

    NAN

  • Makoko residents demand dredging of canal

    RESIDENTS of Makoko, a slum community near Yaba, Lagos Mainland, have appealed to the state government to  dredge their canal to check flooding.

    The canal, they said, also serves Ebute-Meta, Sabo and Yaba.

    The Makoko Community Day  Organising Committee Chairman, Chief Kayode Bamidele, said if the canal is not dredged ‘’our roads will be destroyed by flood when it rains’’.

    He  called for the construction of a bridge to link Adams Manuel Street in Makoko with Ishola Street at Alagomeji so as to ease movement and  link them to  other areas.

    The communitY, he said,  also needed a health centre and a secondary school.

    “We travel to other communities for healthcare services and our children have to go to other communities, travelling miles and taking the risk of crossing the express roads every day to go to school,” he said.

    Bamidele said Makoko Day  was aimed at showcasing the community’s diverse cultural heritage.

    Makoko Community President Alhaji Odetunde Mudashiru said the   celebration would foster peaceful co-existence in the community.

    “We also give gifts, encourage the young ones and make them to know what the community stands for. The programme will ensure togetherness among our people.  We also use this medium to plead with government on our needs in the community,” he said.

  • Makoko fishermen: dredging, oil spill threaten our livelihood

    Makoko fishermen: dredging, oil spill threaten our livelihood

    The fishermen of Makoko riverine settlement in Lagos have converged on the community’s Zontal Club Centre for a Community Dialogue, with the theme: Fish-Not-Oil, where they discussed what they believed to be major threats to their environment, personal wellbeing and means of livelihoods. WALE AJETUNMOBI reports.

    The information about the meeting was disseminated late, but a considerable number of fishermen trooped to the venue to attend it. This obviously showed the pertinence of the event to their well being and livelihoods.

    The Zontal Club Centre where the Community Dialogue was held became a beehive. Fishermen of Makoko, a riverine settlement on the fringe of Ebute Metta in Lagos, deemed it appropriate to cancel daily routines and join in the conversation about the misfortune that has struck their exclusive occupation – fishing – in recent times.

    The fishermen’s countenances were expressive, evidently showing their fury and feeling of deprivation. The vigour of their agitations apparently underscored one thing: what used to be their lucrative trade is now endangered.

    At the Community Dialogue, the fishermen bore their minds on the challenges facing them and how the megacity project of the Lagos State government is affecting their trade. The interactive event, tagged Fish-Not-Oil, was organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an environment right group.

    During the conversation moderated by a number of environmental rights activists, the fishermen said constant oil spill and the ongoing dredging around the coastline are depriving them of their rights to livelihood and spreading poverty in the community. They expressed fear that their means of livelihood could be destroyed completely if the government does not halt the ongoing construction projects around the Makoko coastline.

    Makoko is a riverine slum at the edge of the Lagos lagoon and across the Third Mainland Bridge. It is a home to a significant number of Nigeria’s estimated 6.5 million fishermen occupying the nation’s 850 kilometre coastline.

     

    Depleting fishing harvest in Makoko lagoon

    For many years, the fishermen of Makoko, who live mainly on subsistence fishing, enjoyed their trade without impediment. According to the fishermen, they used to go for multiple catches in a day, with variety of fishes to sell in the market.

    The story, however, changed after they started experiencing constant hydrocarbon pollution, resulting from the oil spill around the coastline. This, they said, kills aquatic species that could be fetched onshore close the coastline.

    Fishes and variety of aquatic species, which the fishermen easily found in the lagoon, are not readily available as a result of the pollution, making it difficult for them to get abundant harvest.

    “We are no longer enjoying fishing around our shoreline,” Chief J.P. Akere, the Vice President of Makoko Fishermen Association, summed up his colleagues’ dilemma in his opening remarks.

    He said: “Each fisherman used to go for three catches in a day. That was the period when we could get all varieties of fishes around the lagoon. Today, we hardly get good catches, because of the oil spill coming from Niger Delta area. This is affecting us in unimaginable way.

    “Before we can get good harvest, we need to sail deep into the midstream. But, this is a dangerous voyage for many of us, because we usually used canoes for fishing. We don’t have motorboats that can withstand the water current midstream. Our means of livelihood is daily threatened, because we are no longer making money from fishing. Our cast nets have been destroyed by the harmful chemicals that come with oil spill on our water.”

     

    ’Dredging endangers our lives’

    The fishermen’s woes in catching fishes within shallow perimeters of the lagoon shore have been compounded by the ongoing dredging and land recovery projects around the Makoko coastline. The fishermen said the deeper the base of the ocean, the more it is difficult for them to catch fishes in the lagoon.

    More so, the fixed-net structures they constructed within the lagoon to trap fishes are being destroyed by the excavators used for the dredging. The fishermen complained the vibration from the excavators also weakens the bases of their wooden shelters built in the lagoon, thereby endangering their lives and destroying their means of livelihood.

    Akere said: “The ongoing dredging has made the fish to go down the base of the water where our cast nets cannot reach. The fixed-net traps, which we built at the base of the shallow zone of the lagoon, are being cleared by the excavators used for the dredging. It costs us about N300,000 to construct a fixed-net trap.

    “The vibration from the machines they are using to dredge also puts our lives in danger. The foundations of the shelters we built in the lagoon have been weakened as result of the vibration from the machines.”

     

    Activists rise in support of fishermen

    At the end of their discussion, the fishermen concluded that oil spill and dredging activity around the coastline need to stop. They urged the federal and state governments to stop activities putting their lives at risk and threatening their rights to livelihood. Their conclusion was supported by the rights activists in attendance.

    Convener of the Rural and Urban Development Initiative, Comrade Ishola Agbodemu, described the plight of the fishermen as “life-threatening”, saying the government must address the situation urgently.

    The environmental activist, who works with vulnerable people, said it was insensitive for the government not to be conscious of the impact of its megacity project on the vulnerable people. He said: “It is insensitive for the government not to take into consideration the effect of the ongoing dredging and the oil spill on the fishing community. It is sad that we have a government which is only concerned about megacity, but not the wellbeing of the vulnerable people in the society. They are embarking on dredging, with the aim to evacuate people living in the slum.

    “We are not against development drive of the government. They have to put people’s means of livelihood into consideration. This is why this dialogue is very important, because it will create the awareness to the general world about government’s intention and plan. People should not suffer because government wants a megacity.”

    Mohammed Zanna, representative of the Justice and Empowerment Initiative, said there was need for the fishermen to adopt new methods in fishing against the backdrop of the difficulties in getting good harvest. This, he said, would be in line with the demands of a megacity project of the government.

    He said: “It is a surprise that many fishermen still use the old methods used by our fore fathers to fish. This is why the government is not taking the plight of fishermen seriously. This old method needs to change and give way to the modern practice of fishing. There is nothing stopping a fisherman to have a good motorboat to fish in the midstream.”

    The Baale (Head) of Makoko, Chief Ayinde Jeje, said the ongoing dredging is affecting the residents. He noted poverty could increase in the riverine community if activities destroying the inhabitants’ means of livelihood are not stopped.

    Chief Jeje also appealed to the government to build a general hospital in Makoko-Iwaya area, noting that many residents had died because of the lack of health centre in the area.

     

    NGO: ‘Fishing not a threat to megacity project’

    HOMEF’s Director, Mr Nnimmo Bassey, who facilitated the Community Dialogue, said fishing is a “timeless occupation”, with an estimate of 6.5 million people depending on it. He wondered why artisan fishermen living in coastline usually became victims of what he called government’s “insensitive development plan”, pointing out that government was out to impoverish the fishermen with the ban on fishing around oil platforms in the water.

    He said: “The combination of security cordon in the lagoon and oil spills places the fishermen at a disadvantaged position. The only option for many fishermen is to go into the high seas before they can have good harvest. As it is, the fishermen cannot afford to standard boats and modern equipment needed to go on fishing in high seas. Security forces have been placed on high seas to stop fishermen from getting close to oil platforms.”

    Bassey said fishing was not a threat to the realisation of megacity project of the government, pointing out that pollution through oil spill and dredging is the major threat to the environment.

    He said: “Not many people bother to answer a salient question as to what we would do if the water well runs dry. Probably, the answer would be to dig another well. If that one dries up too, you simply keep digging new ones. The question changes when we ask, what would happen if the ground water over an entire territory is polluted and we set about digging wells there? The answer is that, no matter how many wells we dig, we would end up with polluted water.

    “Most of these fisher folks live on riverine communities without public utilities, no schools, no health centres. That situation is not different here in Makoko. Today we are examining the pollution in this environment. We are looking back at what living and fishing in this community was, some decades ago and the situation today. Changes have taken place. The essence of this Community Dialogue is to identify those factors that brought about the changes. Then, we will prepare an action plan by which we hope to recover the community’s ecological heritage and preserve same for future generations.”

  • This is Lagos…City of aquatic splendour, dry taps

    This is Lagos…City of aquatic splendour, dry taps

    In this prelude to an investigation on contaminated sachet water in Lagos, HANNAH OJO examines the Lagos water crisis and the sketchy alternative Lagosians are forced to embrace.

    The Third Mainland Bridge, the longest bridge in West Africa, looms high above the Lagos lagoon connecting the mainland and Island. Makoko, a community of small shanties, tiny wooden houses standing on stilts, is close by. Makoko, like Lagos, is surrounded by water yet its residents have none to drink. This has earned Lagos a moniker: the city surrounded by water yet little to drink. Just like the Third Mainland Bridge, lack of potable water connects the mainland and Island. Welcome to Lagos, West Africa’s commercial nerve centre, the city that keeps attracting immigrants yet struggles to meet their water needs.

    With a booming population of 24 million people and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) set at $91 billion, Lagos has the fifth largest and fastest growing economy in Africa. Despite its avalanche of skyscrapers, veritable human capital, and its aquatic splendour, the city suffers perennial water shortage. It is a bitter twist of irony that the fifty-year-old state, despite its resource and infrastructural development, has not been able to solve its water problems. This does not stop the government from dreaming big; it desires to transform the city from a mega city to a smart city.

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    Lagos ranked among the top ten choice destinations for rural–urban migration in the world, according to a 2014 Facebook data which compared users home town with their residence.  As if to corroborate this, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, at a media parley in 2016, disclosed that  86 immigrants enter Lagos every minute; hence the urgent need for the state to provide facilities for its teeming population.  However, the steep rise in population has not been matched by a complementary increase in the supply of water.

    Many Lagosians rely on other sources but the government for water supply at a high cost. While some residents construct wells and boreholes, some just buy water.

    “I never grew up with government water supply so I am used to sourcing water from alternative sources right from childhood. It is a huge cost for me because I fetch a paint bucket for N10 while the water vendors charge as high as N50 for a gallon. This is ridiculous and frustrating but I don’t have a choice,” Femi Olutade, a millennial Lagos resident, told The Nation.

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    The Lagos State Water Corporation is responsible for water supply across the state. Bedeviled by continuous population increase, poor infrastructure, failed public-private partnerships, inadequate budget allocation, poor labour practices and unstable power supply, the corporation falls short. And providing enough water to meet the needs of the citizens remains a dream, just like Lagosians waiting for government water supply from their dry taps.

    “The population increase is one of our major challenges. With the research we have carried out, we need about 700 million gallons a day  (MGD)for 22 million Lagosians. The gap is about 500 MGD which we are trying to close,” Muminu Adekunle Badmus, an engineer and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Lagos Water Corporation, told The Nation.

    The Environmental Rights Action (ERA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) states that only 10 per cent of the population has access to water supplied by the Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC). With four major water works and additional 48 micro and mini water works scattered in various parts of the city, the corporation produces about  215 MGD, according to the CEO. A report by ERA states that despite the number of water works, water supply remains abysmal due to some dysfunctional water works.

    The Lagos Water Corporation will need $3.5 billion to execute a Water Master Plan. This includes the construction of additional large water schemes by 2020 to cover the water needs of the which is estimated to be 733 MGD by then.  While Lagos plans to make this a reality, more immigrants keep pouring into the city, the shortage in water supply remains, along with implications for Lagosians.


    Leo Heller, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights to water and sanitation, said the huge deficit in the provision of water by the government is “unacceptable …for millions of the megacity’s residents”. Heller added that it is worrying how the water shortage makes Lagos residents vulnerable.

    The shortage has led to the unregulated proliferation of boreholes, which is regarded as a threat to the stability of the state’s water table, which experts claim might subside if exploited beyond a certain limit. Asides its implication for nature, there are also public health risks. Many times, boreholes are sited indiscriminately close to soak-aways posing health risks.

    Kabir Ahmed, an architect and chairman of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, an agency responsible for regulating water supply and wastewater management, revealed that 50 per cent of residents who visit hospitals do so as a result of water-related ailments.

    “The indiscriminate citing of boreholes, pit latrines, soak-aways has also been polluting the water source because you observe traces of coliform bacteria in various water sources across the state,” Ahmed told The Nation.

    The average cost of digging borehole in Lagos cost between N200,000 to N350, 000 depending on the water level.  In recent times, the human cost of lack of potable water supply in the state has been dire. In February 2016, 25 children from Otodo-Gbame, a slum (now demolished) in the Ikate Eti Osa Local Government Area, died after drinking the community’s pathogen-infected water. In March this year at Queens College, a government secondary school in Yaba, Lagos mainland, three students died and scores of others were hospitalised as a result of a gastroenteritis epidemic contacted through contaminated water sources.  Water-borne diseases, such as typhoid, cholera, diarrhea and hepatitis remain a major burden to public health. Experts said the spate of illness is not surprising since water and sanitation are key drivers of public health.

    A sketchy alternative

    As taps run dry as a result of the state’s inability to provide water, many Lagos residents have been affected by the high cost of sourcing water from water vendors popularly known as “mai ruwa”.  These water vendors, who buy water from tankers and houses with boreholes, resell to members of the public, increasing prices when there is the lack of power supply and fuel scarcity to power generators. The hygiene of the water supplied by these sellers remains questionable, increasing risks of contamination.


    Nature abhors a vacuum. Packaged water in small sachets retailed on the streets has also served as an alternative source of water for many Nigerians since the close of the last century. Popularly called “Pure Water”, as they are supposed to be treated, their quality and hygiene status have been questionable. There are indications that the quality of sachets of the pure water sold in Lagos do not conform to the highest standards of purity.

    The sachet water phenomenon is also considered as an environmental nuisance owing to the waste generated by consumers who litter the streets with sachets. Many times, these sachets end up blocking the sewage and causing flooding.

    In 2013, Dr Sola Oguntona and Prof Oluwole Adedeji of the Lagos State University carried out a research testing contamination of sachet water produced in the industrial area of Ikeja,  Lagos.

    Six samples sachets of pure water were randomly selected from the open market and studied by an examination on the physical parameters and inorganic constituents. The result showed that all the sachet water samples were acidic. The samples also showed high level of heavy metals and chloride.

    Despite doubt over purity standards and the likelihood of contamination, many Lagosians are forced to consume sachet water due to lack of choice.

    “People are paying for the failure of the government to provide water on the table. The so-called pure water is unsafe and not environmentally sustainable. We don’t endorse sachet water as an alternative or as a means of getting water to the people,” Akinbode Oluwafemi, Deputy Executive Director of ERA, told The Nation.

    Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) under contention

    The government plans to bridge the water gap through public-private partnership (PPP).

    “In the area of environment, we will improve water supply through PPP and increase the capacity utilisation of water treatment plants….”, Ambode announced during the presentation of  the 2017 budget proposal of N812.998 billion to the House of Assembly.

    The state government’s plan to encourage private sector participation in the water sector has been questioned by Our Water Our Right Campaign, a coalition movement of civil society organisations and labour unions.

    “We are also challenging the state government in terms of their approach which is to think that privatisation is the silver bullet to solving the problem of water in Lagos. From examples of different countries of the world privatisation has failed. Privatisation is going to cause a lot of problem for the poor people in Lagos. There is going to be access and pricing problems as well as social unrest for the 80% of residents of the state who depend on the informal sector,” Oluwafemi said.

    However, the government  has maintained that PPP is not privatisation, stating that the Lagos Water Corporation will retain ownership of the assets while the state government regulates the sector.

    Nigeria is classified as a water-short country, whose water resources is likely to reduce from 2,506 cubic metres per year in 1995 to 1,175 cubic meters in 2025, if not properly managed, according to UNICEF. The human right to water requires, among other things, that drinking water be affordable and accessible. The possibility of achieving this reality by 2020 appears distant to Lagosians.

    Reporting for this story was supported by Code for Africa’s impactAFRICA fund and the Bill & Melinda Gate Foundation.