SHEF Introduces WASH Project in Okerube Community in Lagos

Fadekemi Ajakaiye

A Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project has been introduced in the Okerube community in Ikotun-Igando Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State.

The community-based project was launched last week by a non-governmental and non-profit organisation, Shantytown Empowerment Foundation SHEF, under the auspices of the African Cities Research Consortium that champions the transformation of slums and informal settlements in Nigeria.

The project, which is a pilot scheme, is about the issues of lack of water and good sanitation in Okerube.

The Executive Director of SHEF, Mr Rasheed Shittu, said the gathering was for the community stakeholders to take ownership of the project, adding that they would appeal to all tiers of government to accept the project, and provide all necessary logistics to ensure its success, adding that it would be completed in phases. 

Shittu said the project is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), in collaboration with the University of Manchester, and Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, which is the lead agency in Lagos.

He said they

Chose Okerube community because it is one of SDI Nigeria federation communities, and that they have an existing structure, such as women-led water committee with which they have been able to open water trust fund account managed by the committee. Also, they have different stakeholders in the community. They have the CDA, different entrepreneurs, small scale business owners in the community.

He said, “We have other organised communities too but since it is a pilot scheme, we cannot just start to pick other communities. That is why we picked Okerube as a pilot scheme.

“The benefit of the project is that it is community driven, and one of the benefits is that we are looking towards a sustainable model that will surpass even the community itself and in the past, some of these community-based projects became abandoned. So, that is why we want to ensure that we are coming with a model that is going to be driven by community which we are going to support.”

He said they  will have a committee comprising all stakeholders in the committee to ensure that they manage the projects effectively.

He said they also need the government, adding that the ACRC project is a very big project that they are going to carry out research.

He said, “We are going to investigate to find out how people source water, how do they live with water, how do they relate with water and without water, and we have different phases under the project that will ensure that we get all these details because it is going to be driven and led by the community.

“We are not going to be the one to propose. We are prioritising our priorities and that is why we are appealing to them that we also need the buying of the government at all levels, while also ensure that we get land to be able to at least have that project to take place.

“We are not working in isolation and we don’t need to work in isolation, that is why we are having this project introduction that will bring in all the stakeholders in the community. We have Iyaloja team here (Market women), we have Olori Odo (Youth Leader), Omonile and many stakeholders and several benefits will come out of this when they amplify the voices of the community from this project introduction.”