• Renovates 11 toilets at Tinubu Methodist Primary School

The Lions Club of Lagos Ikoyi, District 404-A3, has renovated and commissioned 11 toilets at Tinubu Methodist Primary School on Lagos Island, with a call on the Lagos State Government to improve the maintenance of public school facilities.

The project, spearheaded by the Immediate Past President of the Lagos Ikoyi Lions Club, Lion Pat Jinadu, was undertaken as part of her commitment to community service and creating a lasting impact.

Jinadu said the renovation involved extensive work, noting that most of the toilets were non-functional before the intervention.

According to her, the project included repairs to the floors and walls, installation of wash-hand basins, painting, roof replacement and plumbing works.

She said, “As a Lion, we serve. As a president, it depends on you to carry out a core project or not. It’s not compulsory. You can always carry out the project.

“But I took it upon myself that I have to serve the community with something that I will be happy about and be remembered for.”

Jinadu called on the state government to pay greater attention to the maintenance of public schools, saying the condition of the school environment was a major concern when she first visited the facility.

“My message to the government is that the government should see to maintenance of schools. Because aside the toilet, the environment, I really, really felt bad,” she said.

According to her, the school, located in the heart of Lagos Island, should not be neglected, particularly as it serves children whose parents may not have the means to send them to private schools.

She said, “This is not a school that is in a rural area, it’s in the heart of Lagos Island. So they should please try and maintain. We are helping as an NGO, Lions Club; they should also try to see to the maintenance of the toilets, so that the efforts of NGOs and voluntary organisations like Lions Club will not go in vain.”

Jinadu also appealed to school boards, parents and other stakeholders to support public schools, noting that inadequate facilities could discourage parents from enrolling their children in government schools.

She added that sustained government maintenance of public school facilities would encourage more parents to patronise public schools.

“If the government maintains and sustains the efforts of people like us, that helps to maintain their facilities, that will encourage people to send their children to public schools,” she said.

The District Convener, Elder Johnson Efunkomaya, who was represented by the Vice District Governor, Oladele Lamidi, said the facilities would go a long way towards providing a decent learning environment for the pupils.

Lamidi commended the Ikoyi Lions Club for providing the modern toilet facilities, describing the project as a welcome development.

He urged the pupils to use the facilities properly and ensure that they were kept clean.

The First Vice-President of the Ikoyi Lions Club, Afolabi Balogun, said the importance of proper sanitation could not be overemphasised.

Using an analogy about the different parts of the human body, Balogun said the body could suffer when one part was neglected, stressing that proper sanitation facilities played an important role in preventing diseases.