Lions Club donates toilet facilities to Lagos school

The Lions International Lagos, Ikoyi Club, District 404-A3 Nigeria, has inaugurated 11 renovated toilet facilities and other sanitary facilities at the Tinubu Methodist Primary School, Lagos Island.

The facilities were inaugurated on Tuesday at the school, located on Bank Anthony Street, Lagos Island.

Speaking at the ceremony, the District Convener, Elder Johnson Efunkomaya, who was represented by the Vice District Governor, Oladele Lamidi, said the facilities would go a long way in providing a decent learning environment for the pupils.

He commended the Ikoyi Lions Club for providing the modern toilet facilities, describing the project as a welcome development.

Lamidi urged the pupils to use the facilities properly and ensure that they were kept clean.

Also speaking, a representative of the Lagos Island Local Government Council, Oladumoye Tomi, commended the Lions Club for the initiative.

He said, “We are very happy on behalf of the Lagos State Government because it is very hard to see pupils of this age staying long without going to the toilet.

“For the Lions Club to say they will do this and actually do it, it is a great contribution to society because these children are our future leaders. I pray that God will reward the leaders of the Lions Club, Ikoyi.”

The Immediate Past President of Lions Club Ikoyi and the project coordinator, Mrs Pat Jinadu, said the initiative was driven by the Lions Club’s commitment to service and the urgent need for improved sanitary facilities at the school.

Jinadu said the toilets were not merely renovated, but rebuilt from scratch because the existing facilities were in a state of disrepair.

She said, “The purpose of the Lions Club is to serve, and we decided to give this school 11 toilet facilities because of the need here.

“It is not really a renovation because when we came here, the toilets were completely run down and we had to build them from scratch. The environment itself was dirty. I had to first clean up the place.

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“We raised money from friends and family. Special thanks to some of my husband’s friends who gave generously to this project. We cannot leave everything to the Lagos State Government. NGOs like us have to come in.”

The pupils of the school also presented songs in appreciation of the Lions Club for the gesture.

Among other dignitaries at the event were Mrs Moji Sofowore and Bola Abioye, who described the project as an investment in the future of the pupils.

Abioye said providing a clean environment was important to preventing illnesses among children.

He said, “This is an edifice for the future leaders of tomorrow because cleanliness is next to godliness. If the kids do not learn in a clean environment, they will be exposed to sicknesses and diseases, and we do not want that for our children.

“This is why this project is laudable, and we thank the Lions Club of Ikoyi.”

The First Vice-President of the Ikoyi Lions Club, Afolabi Balogun, said the importance of proper sanitation could not be overemphasised.

Using an analogy about the different parts of the human body, Balogun said the body could suffer when one part was neglected, stressing that sanitation facilities played an important role in preventing diseases.

He said, “One day, the parts of the body were quarrelling among themselves about who was the greatest. The brain said, ‘I am the greatest’; the mouth said, ‘I am the greatest’; the nose and the eyes said the same.

“The anus also said, ‘I am the greatest,’ but the other parts of the body shut it up and called it a dirty pig. The anus became angry and decided to shut up so that no waste could come out. That was when every other part of the body knew its significance. They all became sick.

“These facilities are a way of preventing sickness in any part of the body. This is why the saying that cleanliness is next to godliness is important.”

The Head Teacher of the school, Sanusi Shadiat, gave the vote of thanks and expressed appreciation to the Lions Club for the gesture.