Rebuilt toilets end seven-year sanitation crisis at Lagos primary school
The Headteacher of Arowosegbe Nursery and Primary School, Mrs. Aderemi Aromolaran, says newly rebuilt sanitation and healthcare facilities have ended a seven-year toilet crisis and created a safer learning environment for hundreds of pupils in Ketu, Lagos.
The facilities were commissioned on Friday by the Lagos Elites Lions Club as part of its legacy projects in Lions District 404B2 Nigeria. The projects include a reconstructed 14-unit toilet block and a renovated school clinic.
District Governor Lion Kemi Eribake, Club President Lion Lucy Unegbu, and officials of the Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) attended the inauguration.
Speaking at the event, Aromolaran said the school’s toilets had been blocked for more than seven years, forcing pupils to defecate in open areas within the school premises.
“When I resumed here, I saw children relieving themselves around the school because the toilets had been blocked for over seven years,” she said.
She explained that teachers had given up their own toilets for pupils because of the shortage of functional facilities.
According to her, the new toilet block will improve hygiene, reduce the risk of disease outbreaks, and provide a healthier environment for learning.
“My fear was because we heard there is Ebola in the country. That fear has been taken away now,” she said.
She added that the project would particularly benefit girls by reducing their exposure to infections associated with poor sanitation.
“This project has done a lot of good, especially for the girl child,” she said.
Aromolaran thanked the Lagos Elites Lions Club for the intervention and urged the organisation to continue supporting communities through similar humanitarian projects.
“What they have done today is a great thing. I pray God rewards them abundantly,” she said.
The renovated school clinic was equipped with hospital-standard metal bed frames, mattresses, pillows, a first aid box, rechargeable fans, window blinds and other essential medical supplies.
The project also included the construction of a soakaway pit, plumbing repairs, maintenance of the water pumping machine, and the donation of a 1,000-litre water storage tank.
Club President Lucy Unegbu said the intervention was aimed at providing a healthier and safer learning environment because “a healthy child learns better.”
She said the club decided to act after inspecting the school’s poor sanitation facilities as part of its humanitarian service mission.
Unegbu also disclosed that a partner hospital would provide over-the-counter medicines for the school clinic for one year under a memorandum of understanding. She added that the club was working with the local government to ensure proper maintenance of the facilities.
She encouraged people with a passion for humanitarian service to join the Lions Club, saying service to humanity remains the organisation’s core mission.
The event also featured the induction of six new members into the Lions Club, who took the club’s oath before receiving their official regalia.
