Mr Jude Ojo, a resident of Ilaje Otumara Community, a Suburb of Ebute Meta West Local Government Area of Lagos State, has called for government’s intervention in addressing the deplorable state of infrastructure in the area.
Ojo made the appeal in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday during a visit of members of the Journalists Against Poverty (JAP) to the community.
“It has been like this for over 40 years even before I started primary school in 1972, I can tell you that there have been no water and as we speak now, we have no water.
“Even the electricity you see here are self-help. There is no proper electricity in the community. That is why we have our own electricity committee, security committee. We have to set up committees for everything.
“If this place is where you could dig wells to have water, so many people would have dug wells.
“But by the time you dig the surface here by two, three metres, you have salty water, so you can’t really dig the well here.”
He further lamented the non-availability of drugs and personnel at the newly constructed healthcare facility that was donated to the community by
the state government.
He pleaded with the state government to provide affordable drugs for low income earners at the facility.
“Thank God that we have a proper health clinic built by the government, but are drugs available, that is another question, are the drugs affordable?
“Do we always have staff on ground for 24 hours? Those are the challenges.
“But now we have the clinic, we have been advising and encouraging our members to use the clinic instead of patronising the chemists in the area and we are not sure how authentic they are.
“But, we want the government to assist and ensure that drugs are available and that they are original and staff are on duty 24 hours.’’
It is however worth to note that as at today, children in the community seeks senior secondary education outside the community
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that the slump community which is at the heart of Lagos is five minute distance to the Apapa road and has only one primary and Junior Secondary School.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has proposed a site for the construction of a Senior Secondary School in the community.
