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In its bid to provide clean water and hygiene in communities in parts of Lagos State, WaterAid Nigeria in partnership with PepsiCo Foundation and the Lagos State government have concluded arrangements to train 20 female Local Area Mechanics (LAM) on maintenance of water facilities in their localities.
Talking with National Wire at the Alimosho Local Government Secretariat, Ikotun, yesterday, Wash Officer, WaterAid Nigeria, Godfrey Iloha, said the training will last three days between 8th and 10th May 2023 to equip the beneficiaries with maintenance skills of water facilities.
Talking about the importance of the training, Iloha said, “To sustainably manage water facilities, it is important to have a pool of resource persons that communities can call on to repair and maintain their facilities. Without this, water facilities breakdown for long periods, have high tendency to become abandoned as people begin to rely on alternative sources that may not be safe.”
Stating further, he said, “The process we intend to take the Female LAMs is a long one that will equip them with hands on skills. So we couldn’t start after we have constructed or rehabilitated the facilities since we already know the technology we intend to adopt for the water facilities.”
One of the shortlisted candidates for the training, Onome Egeonu, said she intends to benefit from the project by acquiring necessary skills to put smiles on the faces of people in her community.
“I am a kind of person that likes to put smiles on faces of the people around me as a volunteer worker in the community. If I am trained to maintain water facilities, I will be very glad to give a helping hand to any community if there is an issue with their water system,” she said.
The middle-aged trader continued that, there are no public water facilities in Igando-Ikotun where she lives as residents always look for where to get clean water.
“I don’t think I have seen anything like public water supply in Igando where I reside. The closest is a tap in a compound people go to fetch. I use borehole in my place. I have a reservoir too. I can’t even drink the water; I buy bags of pure water for drinking.
“The best thing that can happen in the area is for the people to have access to clean water. It costs money, it costs health once you don’t have clean water to drink. There will be less sickness, less stress, less expenses when there is good water,” she said, concluding that after providing the community with clean water, maintenance is the next important thing and she is happy to be in the number of those to be trained on maintenance of water facility.
Another shortlisted candidate expressed her readiness to be trained on the scheme.
Rasheedat Usman is a secondary school leaver who is keeping herself busy training as a motor mechanic while seeking admission into the tertiary institution.
“I was told by someone in my workshop about the training and I had to come to the secretariat for the interview. Getting here, I learnt WaterAid Nigeria is going to be educating us in plumbing and other implements to maintain water facilities. I have handled normal pumping machines before but I will be glad to participate and learn more on the training,” she expressed.
Expressing her optimism of being able to cope fast because of her motor mechanic background, Usman said, “I have been learning to be a mechanic for 14 months out of the four years I signed. I will leave when I gain admission into the higher institution, but will be coming back during holidays to continue my learning,” she said.
“I don’t have interest in anything else than being a mechanic, I have been trying my hands on electrical things since I was a child and I have developed interest. I want to study Mechanical Engineering at Ibadan Polytechnic, I am writing the next JAMB but that will not stop me from continuing my learning to be a mechanic. Already I can undertake some tasks on Japanese cars which I am learning,” she said.
In November 2022, WaterAid Nigeria with funding support from PepsiCo Foundation launched the project to enhance Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) in Ikotun, Ikorodu and Ojodu Local Council Development Areas of Lagos State.
Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria, Evelyn Mere at the inauguration said, “Lack of access to safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services impacts negatively on health, exposing people to infectious diseases such diarrhea.”
The project is however targeting thousands of community people who would benefit from provision and maintenance of water facilities to reduce the difficulty in accessing clean water in their localities.
