EKO NEWS
2023 World Water Day: LWC, NIMechE Task Students On Providing Solutions As 7 Schools Shine In WASH Essay Competition
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An engineering institute recently collaborated with the Lagos Water Corporation to organise an essay competition for secondary students.
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80 schools across Lagos State participated in the competition.
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The students were asked to provide creative solutions to issues surrounding water sanitation and hygiene.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Lagos State Government, through Lagos State Water Corporation, has advised secondary school students to come up with innovations to address water, sanitation, and hygiene issues in the state.
The LWC Managing Director/CEO, Engr. Muminu Adekunle Badmus, made the call on Wednesday at the Grand Finale and Maiden Annual Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Essay Competition.
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The event, which was part of activities to mark 2023 World Water Day, was organised by the Nigerian Institute of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE) in collaboration with LWC and held at Victoria Island, Lagos.
It had over 80 schools and representatives from six education districts in Lagos in attendance.
Badmus commended participants in the essay competition, saying the students must go beyond classroom knowledge to provide solutions.
The managing director said analytical skills would help the students to become game changers and pledged continuous support for the essay competition.
One of the winners presented with an award
He urged secondary school students to keep participating in the competition to boost their knowledge and exposure and get important research skills to become solution providers.
Badmus cited the example of Ansar-udeen Grammar School, ‘ADGS’ Surulere, which invented a Water Filtration and Purification system a few years ago, which won them the Nigerian Stockholm Junior Water Prize.
He said that the winners went on to represent Nigeria later that year in Sweden and were commended for their innovation.
“By asking the right questions, you can develop analytical skills and investigate effects by digging deep into their causes.
“When you know the cause of a problem, the solution would easily fall on our laps,” he said.
Miss Chioma Joseph, SS2 student of Keke Senior High School, Ifako Ijaye, clinched the overall best position in the senior category.
Vetland Senior Grammar School’s Olaoluwa Olaniyn came second, while Oyewole Egunjobi of Ayangburen Senior High School and Josephine Hunpe of Lagos State Senior Model College, Kankon Badagry both came third place.
In the Junior Secondary category, Miss Chisom Ezeanya, Lagos State Junior Model College Ojo came first; Esther Ajileye, Eva Adelaja Junior Girls Secondary School came second, while Blessing Nwabueze of District Junior College Agege, came third.
Winners were given laptops and other educational gift items, while some schools also received cash donations.
A cross-section of students in attendance
Speaking at the event, the National Chairman, NIMechE, Dr Funmilade Akingbagbohun, said the competition was organised to address a lacuna in the space of water sanitation and hygiene in Nigeria, and engineering is about problem-solving.
She thanked the Lagos water corporation for supporting the programme, and commended all the six education districts that participated.
The engineer said all hands must be on deck for effective collaboration towards achieving a clean environment.
The organisers, including staff members of the Lagos water corporation and NIMechE
Akingbagbohun noted that everyone has a role to play in ensuring improved water and sanitation facilities, promoting hand washing and preventing diseases.
She said the use of polluted drinking water and poor sanitary conditions in Nigeria had increased water-borne diseases, including diarrhea and cholera.
The NIMechE chairman gave statistics on the consequences of poor sanitation and water and the need to target the youth as game changers to provide solutions.
The guest speaker, Ms Cherish Jefferson, said the problems of water require multi-sectoral solution because its impact affects every sector and segment of life.
Jefferson, a 500-level student of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the University of Lagos, called for collective action, saying SDG 6 is the most important which must be pursued to solve societal problems.
She said SDG 6 states that everyone should have safely managed water, good hygiene, and sanitation and focused on ending open defecation by 2030.
Jefferson called for deliberate efforts towards conserving water to mitigate the impact of climate change.
“Simple action like turning off a tap is important,” she said.
The final year university student also called for recycling of water, volunteering to support community-led initiatives for change, and increased awareness campaigns.
Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on STEM Education, Dr. Adetola Salau, said 1,000 children die daily from bad water, sanitation, and hygiene, hence the need for creative ways for water conservation.
Salau promised to join the Lagos Water Corporation in the partnership while urging the students to create prototypes of ideas they have for solving problems in their communities.
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She enumerated various aspects of engineering the students could explore while reeling out examples of teenagers providing solutions in some countries.
Watch major highlights of the WASH Essay Competition event here.
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