THE PLIGHTS OF BISHOP KODJI

By Blessing Oladunjoye

For a first time visitor, the journey to Bishop Kodji community in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government can be considered to be risky and tedious as the only way to access the community is through water. Though the community is in a city, it can still be seen as a remote village. Bishop kodji, a riverine community is inhabited by the Eeguns.

The difficulty in accessing the community arose the imagination that social infrastructures will be at the rarity. This imagination was confirmed on getting to the community when it was ascertain that there is no social infrastructure in the community. 

The community does not have portable water, though it’s surrounded by water, neither is there power supply because the community is not even wired at all. The absence of quality education which is the best legacy can be felt in the community as children of school age are seen hawking about. The health care facility in the community is as good as not having any because it is not functioning effectively.

With the population of the residents of the community going to 80,000, there is no school, electricity, portable water, healthcare facility above all road to access the community and others.

Speaking on behalf of the residents, the Baale of Bishop Kodji, Chief Fewanu Felix requested for a secondary school adding that the two primary schools available in the community is suitable for the population of the pupils.

Reacting to this, a teacher in Bishop Kodji Community Nursery and Primary school said the community does not need a secondary school because the parents do not regard education as being essential. She noted that parents prefer to send their children hawking than sending them to school adding that if the foundation is not good, there won’t be need for advanced learning.

In the schools available in the community, there are no enough classrooms to accommodate the students; those that have chosen to go to school instead of hawking. There are just four teachers in a school of 462 pupils and classes had to be merged to ensure that the students are fixed to a class with a teacher. It was noted that the education situation of the community can change to a better one if the parent are made to see the value of education and also putting necessary facilities in place to enhance effective learning for the students.

Just as the state of education in Bishop Kodji is nothing to write home about, so also it is with the availability of portable water. Though the community is surrounded with water, it is saddening not to find water suitable for domestic use and drinking. It is a very serious and risky business to get water for the use of the residents. The women go to UNILAG to get water in GP tanks in order to sell it to other residents. A 25litres gallon of water is being sold for #50, hence, an average family spend a minimum of #200 on water every day.

The sight of borehole which was provided by the Local Government chairman in order to get water for the residents cannot be denied, but it has not been functioning for a very long time. The 5Kv generators which was provided to power the borehole have not been fueled by the community residents, thus, leaving them to the only option of buying water.

With the high cost of getting portable water, residents have decided to get water for domestic use from the river near them. It should be noted that it is not safe for them because they defecate and dump refuse into the same water.

It is with the greatest desire that the residents of Bishop Kodji requested for a good school that will enhance the course of learning for their children, functioning boreholes that will make them to reduce the money being spent on water, good healthcare facility which will help to limit the dangers that most people are exposed to when they cannot access good treatment. Power supply is also needed as they are always in darkness.

Though the residents do not see anything wrong in their population, but preventive measures on family planning and girl-child education should be made important within the community as there is high rate of teenage pregnancy. The population available do not have suitable facilities to live in a healthy community much less adding to the population on a daily basis.

The Lagos state government should endeavour to make this people access dividends of democracy as they are also voters and residents in the state.