Without water, electricity, hospital, school, Makoko remains disaster waiting to happen

In the past years, especially since the advent of the third republic in 1999, successive governments in Lagos State have never hidden their plans to turn Lagos metropolis into a mega city.  Despite being regarded as a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ by many, not a few believed that the Lagos bequeathed to the government of Bola Tinubu, the then governor of the state, was a city far from maximising its immense potential.  Basic amenities were decaying by the day and the beautiful, cozy city left behind by the nation’s colonial masters was fast becoming a ‘jungle’, where life was becoming ‘short, brutish and nasty’.

Fortunately,  some  major reforms, especially in the areas of health, transportation, education and even infrastructure developments, being  witnessed  in and around the city today, are without doubt, eloquent testimonies to the seriousness of successive  governments to put the city in the league of mega cities in the world, and restore its waning glory.

But, curiously, residents of  Makoko community,  in the south-eastern part of the Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos,  do not seem to share in the  mega city dream.  For them, the mega city project of the state is designed for every other citizen of the state, except those living in Makoko community.

This riverside community said to have been established in the 18th century as a fishing village has obviously been left behind by civilisation and revolution being witnessed in every other part of the metropolis.

For instance, this coastland settlement, flanked on the left by the popular University of Lagos; to the right, by the main business district and in front by the popular Third Mainland Bridge, has quite a sizeable number of its structures built on stilts across the lagoon.

While life in Sogunro and Apollo, the two communities built on land, can be said to be relatively better, compared with what obtains with their kinsmen living in the ‘floating settlements’, the popular joke among the people in the other four communities of Oko Agbon, Adogbo, Migbewhe and Yanshiwhe is that it is easier for the biblical camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for residents to have access to electricity, drinkable water and even education.

All these basic amenities taken for granted in other parts of the metropolis, and which could have ameliorated the plight of the people living on this dark, foul-smelling water, still remain a luxury to the people.

For instance, while those who live in Sogunro and Apollo are quick to complain of irregular power supply, flooding and lack of safe drinking water, the woes of Makoko residents are legion.

While expressing her frustration to Nigerian Tribune, Mrs Folorunsho Tabada, a resident of Apollo, lamented that epileptic power supply had been the major challenge facing residents.

“Sometimes, we see electricity in the neighbourhood, especially Iwaya and other communities not too distant from us, but we are usually cut off. And nobody even bothers to dignify us with an explanation. The electricity situation is disturbing; sometimes we stay for weeks without electricity.

“Without mincing words, this power situation is affecting my trading activities and increasing the cost of doing business for me,” Tabada stated.

Another resident of the area, Awoyade Sikiru, is bothered about the perennial flood usually experienced in the area each time it rains.

Huge and almost insurmountable as these challenges of residents living in Apollo may look, those faced by their kinsmen living on water are even more worrisome.

For instance, besides not having access to any road at all, the hope of getting quality education for the thousands of half-clad children playing around the slum daily in the community seems to be dimming by the day.

Interestingly, besides efforts being made to reconstruct the floating school, the only noticeable educational structure in the area which collapsed after a heavy downpour on March 26, 2018, nothing else indicates any attempt at providing inhabitants and their offspring quality education.

Canoes of all sizes constitute the only means of moving from one point to the other for inhabitants and a resemblance of the Lagos traffic snarl is also experienced, sometimes, when those paddling those canoes struggle to move passengers at the same time.

Interestingly, while their kinsmen living in Apollo complain about epileptic power supply, inhabitants of the floating community do not have anything to do with public power supply. They see electricity in the neighborhood, especially on the Third Mainland Bridge at night, but do not entertain the hope of getting the amenity one day.

“We see civilisation and developments happening around us, but you can see what this place looks like and judge for yourself,” said Mrs. Sade Banmeke.

Banmeke, who has been living in the floating community for close to two decades, said that the settlement had not experienced developments because the state government does not recognise people living in the area.

“When they are thinking of developing Lagos and transforming the city, we don’t seem to be on their agenda,” she stated.

She might not be far from the truth. But for some resistance and public outcry that greeted the planned demolition of the area by the former governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, in July 2012, perhaps Makoko would have been history by now.

Perhaps of major concern is the hygiene of inhabitants of the area. Apart from lack of a proper means of disposing of their wastes, residents do not also have access to potable water, despite living on water.

This, obviously, explains the belief in some quarters that Makoko is a disaster waiting to happen. With a glaring lack of social amenities and obvious neglect by government it is believed that residents of the commuity will need to wait a little longer before experiencing relief.

The decision, therefore, by the United States of America-based not- for-profit organisation, ‘I Believe Foundation’, to donate its first batch of 500 units of LightWaterLife sustainable kits to some residents of the area recently.

As part of efforts aimed at ameliorating the plight of the underprivileged in the society, the foundation announced the donation of gadgets, saying it as one of the numerous interventions it intends to make in the community.

The kits consisting of  devices that provide clean, drinkable water, a solar panel that powers two energy-saving bulbs and footballs for the kids were given out to residents by the foundation’s founder, Mr. David Imonitie Jnr, in the presence of the traditional head and other leaders of the community.

While presenting the gifts to residents, Imonitie explained that the gesture was informed by the need to give back to the society.

“The foundation’s objective is to assist young, underprivileged and orphaned children as well as deserving families in need. I Believe Foundation has taken up the cause of the people of Makoko because it is a community made up of deserving families.

“The foundation is taking up the cause of the people on two fronts- advocacy and provision of relief materials, seen as immediate needs,” he stated.

Imonitie further explained that the advocacy would see him and his team, comprising Reverend Mo Merriman-Johnson  and Morounranti Ashabi, the culture ambassador appointed by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, taking up the government in a non-confrontational manner and seeking how best to work together on a long-term plan of making life better for the people of Makoko.

Speaking at the presentation event, Reverend Mo Merriman -Johnson stated that the foundation’s gesture was motivated by the genuine commitment to giving back to the people.

Merriman-Johnson, who is the mother of the foundation’s founder, Imonitie Jnr., in an emotion-laden tone expressed sadness that such a community with so much lack could still exist in the 21st century Nigeria.

“It’s quite unfortunate that we still have a community such as Makoko whose residents neither have access to drinkable water nor public power supply.

“The intention of this foundation, therefore, is to quickly intervene in these two critical areas by donating these kits that would ensure that the water taken in by the people of the community is safe and also ensure the area is illuminated,” she stated.

Culture ambassador and the foundation’s chief operating officer, Morounranti Ashabi, explained that another major goal of the foundation in Africa is to aid and equip less privileged children with the necessary tools to support and provide for themselves in the ever dynamic world.

This, she said, would be done through empowerment programmes such as skills acquisition in bead making, fabric designing, hair-styling, nail art, software programming, data processing, skincare, carpentry, wood carving, sculpturing, makeup artistry and other engagements.

She explained that the foundation had started putting the structure in place to achieve this, including a building for the skill acquisition training in Lagos and scouting for beneficiaries.

An obviously elated Pa James, one of the community leaders, described the foundation’s gesture as a sign of positive things coming the way of the community.

“After the harassment and almost forceful eviction from this place, few years ago, it’s quiet a relief that we are again getting a look-in from kind-hearted organisations such as this,” the community leader who has been in the area for over five decades stated in an exclusive chat Nigerian Tribune.

He, however, called on corporate organisations, kind-hearted individuals and non-governmental organisations to come to the community’s aid, to enable its inhabitants live a decent life.