In Lagos State, poor trash disposal methods are a problem, particularly in low-income, densely inhabited areas where indiscriminate rubbish disposal has become an eyesore and a health danger. However, according to KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE, students from seven public elementary schools have demonstrated that the environment can be kept clean and garbage recycled for riches by putting environmental principles into reality.
Few imagined Atanda Street in the Sari Iganmu neighborhood of Orile Iganmu, a slum town in Lagos State, could ever be clean. On a reasonable stretch of road, a stagnant pool of murky, stinky water was home to all types of garbage, discarded tyres, and sand bags.
For students of Metropolitan Primary School, Orile Iganmu, crossing the road was a nightmare, especially on wet days when they were at danger of slipping into the water. That’s why, as part of an environmental project called Clean our World (COW), started by Oando Foundation in partnership with Sumitomo Chemicals, a Japanese company, they set out to clean up their town and raise awareness.
The cleanup was enormous. The students, teachers, and community members collected solid and plastic garbage from the road and drain, leaving the street cleaner than anybody had recall in a long time.
The school’s Head Teacher, Mr. Julius Abiodun, said of the exercise: “Atanda Street in Orile Iganmu, I can say is one of the dirtiest streets in Lagos State. But when Clean our World came, they provided the necessary materials that can be used to clean the environment. They gave us shovels, gloves, hand pickers that can be used to pick all those dirt, and waste management vehicle. Members of the communities, leaders, School Based Management Committee (SBMC) were all involved and we cleaned everything. The members of that street were very happy because the environment was very clean.”
The SBMC Chairman, Apapa Local Government Education Authority, Mr. Ademola Fashina, said the exercise made a big difference.
“The community clean-up has been wonderful because they encouraged us to clean the dirtiest street in Sari Iganmu, Orile. All the members of the community on that street, the Baale, youth leader, councilor were happy.
“The cleaning made a very big difference. The video was shown before we started; you see how the place was very dirty; and after the cleaning you see how clean the place was,” he said.
Metropolitan Primary School won the first prize for the COW project – a six-seater swing for its playground and a public address system – for its efforts in the clean-up exercise, as well as gardening and farming, pet bottle collection, recycling and upcycling activities throughout the 2020/2021 academic session (PAS).
Last Friday, at the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) hall in Maryland, prizes were awarded to the school and six others that participated in COW during the previous academic year. Second place went to Olokun Primary School in Ilasamaja, which received a four-seater merry-go-round and PAS, while third place went to Methodist Primary School in Ilasamaja, which received a four-seater seesaw and PAS.
As a consolation prize, Ire-Akari Primary School in Ilasmaja, Olisa Primary School in Mushin, and Dele Ajomale Primary School in Ilasmaja received learning materials and school supplies.
In total, students from the seven schools gathered 1,000 kg of plastic bottles (600 kg by Metropolitan Primary School alone), as part of environmental education clubs set up for the initiative.
Source : The Nations