LITTLE BECOMES MUCH: ALADURA LESS-PRIVILEGED COMMUNITY STILL REVELS IN ROTIMI AGUNSOYE’S FACILITATED BOREHOLE WATER SYSTEM

  By OLUSEGUN APENA

The Lawmaker representing Kosofe Federal Constituency Hon. Prince Rotimi Agunsoye has facilitated about 20 solar-powered borehole water systems in strategic locations in Kosofe Federal Constituency in his bid to ease the problem of water deficit in the area. But one particular community where the provision of such a facility is making a big positive difference in the lives of the beneficiary community is the Less-Privilege community of Aladura, Anthony Village.

 

One year after the installation and commissioning of the water facility by Hon. Agunsoye, the leaders and dwellers of the community are still revelling in the provision of the facility and have continued to extol Hon. Prince Rotimi Agunsoye for his sensitivity and timely response to their plights, describing the initiative as the hallmark of quality representation.

 The vice-chairman of the community, Mr. Adamu Sulaimon Abubakar, who spoke in the absence of his Chairman to Kosofe Reporters, praised the lawmaker for coming to the aid of the community when they were neglected by the government.

 

He noted that the lawmaker indeed lived up to his sobriquet of “The Promise Keeper” by fulfilling his pledge to the poor shanty community of about 1000 people without electricity and water supply.

 

Mr. Adamu explained that before the lawmaker’s intervention, the only source of water available to the shanty community was the dingy narrow channel of shallow water flowing through it from “Odo Iyalaro” which they used in performing domestic chores.

 

He added that to get potable water to drink, they used to trek about 2000 meters out of the almost marooned community to fetch water.

 

He said since the provision of the solar-powered borehole water system, the community had been getting steady potable water for both domestic and drinking purposes without having to trek out of the community.

 

He, therefore, made it known that the community would always stand by Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye whenever he needs their assistance because he stood by them in difficult moments.

 

Mr. Abubakir further stated that another social infrastructure the community is desirous of having is electricity. He said adjoining communities have denied them the opportunity of being electrified due to their abject status within the larger community of Anthony Village.

 

He said, nevertheless, Hon. Prince Rotimi Agunsoye had been making frantic efforts at ensuring their community was electrified despite facing a stiff challenge from counterpart communities.

 

 He said, although, they are being perceived as a pariah community of people within the affluent Anthony Village, Hon. Agunsoye had been able to embrace them as a part and parcel of Kosofe federal constituency.

 

It would be recalled that in April 2021 Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye commissioned a 4000L capacity solar-powered Borehole Water System in the heart of the shanty community of Aladura. The water project has now become a major source of regular potable water supply to about 1000 impoverished inhabitants of the bucolic settlement.

 

Kosofe Reporters reliably gathered that the inhabitants of the community who complained of a lack of government presence in their community were at the mercy of the government mainly because they are illegal occupiers of a swath of land belonging to the state government.

 

This may have informed the erection of nebulous structures known as “bacha” in the local parlance by the illegal settlers knowing full well that solid structures on the acquisition land would be demolished by the state government.

 It is pertinent to note, however, that the people residing in this area are made up of all tribes. And apart from the problem of electricity they are at present encountering, they are also being denied thoroughfare to the rest of Anthony Village Community due to their beggarly status.

 

Streets that are supposed to provide quick access to other adjoining communities have been blocked. This is probably to forestall any social interaction with the people of Aladura Less Privilege community who are regarded as flotsam and jetsam.

 

Even a well-tarred road from Oke-Alo / Millenium Estate area that is supposed to cut through the community to other parts of Anthony, like a knife in butter, terminates just at the side of Odo Iyalaro Canal.

 

The only access route to the community is the narrow path of Festus Keyamo lane beside Newcastle Hotel.

 

But this pariah social status of the people of the community has not in any way deterred the lawmaker representing the constituency at the green chamber from pleading their cause.

 

The chairman House Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is of the very strong opinion that irrespective of the disenchanting social status of the people of Aladura Less- Privilege Community, they are bonafide members of the constituency and as such deserve the attention of the government and its representatives.

 

While some people or critics may view the provision of the Solar Power Borehole Water System as insignificant, for the less privileged community whose daily existence has been positively impacted by that singular act of sensitive and responsive leadership of Prince Agunsoye - it is very much.