Humanitarian organisation, Mater Africa, has opened an Emergency Tent in Makoko, Lagos, to provide urgent medical and social support to residents of the densely populated community, where access to healthcare remains critically limited.

Speaking at the launch yesterday, Coordinator of the Mater Africa Makoko Project, Chioma Okafor, said the three-month emergency intervention is designed to provide rapid, first-line assistance to individuals and families facing urgent health, protection and social challenges.

The intervention comes in the wake of the recent demolition in the waterfront area, which displaced many residents and further exposed gaps in access to healthcare as families relocated to Makoko dry land.

According to Okafor, over the past month, the team has operated daily in Makoko with minimal resources, carrying out community outreach, basic triage and direct assistance to vulnerable households.

She noted that the emergency tent was made possible through the support of CMM – Centro Missionario Medicinali of Florence, Italy, additional Italian companies, a Nigerian partner company and private supporters who contributed essential materials.

She also acknowledged the Makoko Children Development Foundation, School and Orphanage Home for providing community access and logistical support that enabled the setup.

“This opening reflects our commitment to presence, responsibility and dignity.”

Makoko is a community with extraordinary resilience. Even without external support from large organisations, we remain focused on delivering essential services where they are most needed,” she said.

The facility will operate daily with a multidisciplinary team and serve as a hub for emergency response, community engagement and coordination with local actors. Activities will prioritise medical triage, protection services and direct support to vulnerable families.

Co-founder of the Makoko Children Development Foundation, Oluwabusayomi Otubaga, described the initiative as a reminder that the community matters.

She said, “Today is a reminder that Makoko matters, that every child here matters, that every mother, every father and every elder matters. When a child is sick and cannot access care, it affects not only the child but the whole family.”

Otubaga described the health situation in the community as tough, stressing that there are no medical centres in the area.

“On the waterfront and even on the land, there are no medical centres or health centres. Residents do not have access to medical treatment. Most times, when cases become severe, they rush to our foundation to help them survive,” she said.

She said the foundation has supported residents through pregnancies, illnesses and surgeries with the help of volunteer doctors and sponsors.

On sustainability, she said the emergency tent will run for three months and urged residents to take advantage of the services within that period.

“For these three months, the community should come out and make use of it. They will receive medical check-ups, raise their health concerns and get preliminary medication. Those who need further treatment will be referred appropriately,” she said.

While acknowledging that general hospitals and health centres in Lagos State are functioning, Otubaga said Makoko waterfront has no government-approved health facility and residents lack access to free healthcare.

“We are pleading with the Lagos State Government, the Commissioner for Health and the Public Health Service to please, if a hospital cannot be built in this community, at least let us start with a health centre. Let Makoko feel that they are remembered and cared for,” she said.

The medical doctor in charge of the Emergency Tent, Dr Salam Ismail Wale, said the outreach is structured to provide organised triage and immediate care for urgent cases within the community. He explained that patients will be assessed, stabilised where necessary and referred to partner hospitals for comprehensive management.

He added that early intervention is critical in preventing complications and said the team will continue to work closely with the foundation and its partners to ensure residents receive timely and dignified care throughout the three-month programme.