Irede community laments absence of social amenities
15 April 2022 |
2:47 am
These are definitely not the best of times for residents of Irede, a slum settlement located within Apapa wharf in Amuwo-Odofin Local Council of Lagos State...
Boats at Irede jetty PHOTO: JESUTOMI AKOMOLAFE
Residents depend on water vendors
These are definitely not the best of times for residents of Irede, a slum settlement located within Apapa wharf in Amuwo-Odofin Local Council of Lagos State, following lack of basic social amenities in the island.
The community of over 3,000 residents, mainly fishermen, artisans and petty traders has suffered neglect by successive governments that it has become an endangered enclave for pregnant women.
Recently, the community’s peace was shattered, following the sudden death of a middle-aged pregnant woman, Abidemi Ogunlesi, who passed away inside a boat on her way to the hospital.
Ogunlesi went into labour at midnight, but could not access medical care because there was none available in the community.
A resident said on that day, the neighbourhood was thrown into confusion as it took over an hour for boat operators to get fuel before she could be taken from Irede to Apapa.
The delay caused Ogunlesi her life as she passed on inside the boat, since the Island could only be accessed by boat through Creek Road in Apapa. Ogunlesi’s death was one of many deaths involving pregnant women in the sleepy community.
The Guardian learnt that another woman died in similar circumstances last year due to lack of health facilities and other basic amenities like potable water, electricity and schools.
When The Guardian visited the community, some residents recounted how pregnant women and others depend on few traditional healing centres in the island.
According to them, residents often task themselves to transport pregnant women in special conditions from traditional healing centres to hospitals on the Mainland, which takes about 30 minutes.
They stressed that the community has been existing without government presence as it takes an hour to access the only primary healthcare centrein another community.
A resident, Mrs. Dominant Okani, said the situation in the area is pitiable. This, she said, is different from what is obtainable in other parts of Lagos, as residents in Irede depend on vendors for their water needs.
A resident, Mary Ola, said she was almost separated from her husband due to issues surrounding water, stressing that lack of access to clean water has continued to affect their survival rate.
She said: “My husband and I almost separated during COVID-19 because there was no water. We consumed more pure water and at some point, my husband began to lock up some pure water in his shops. My children and I were drinking from different sources of water. I fell ill in the process and thank God I didn’t die,” she said.
A recent research carried out by Lagos Urban Studies Group, University of Lagos, in conjunction with the Nigerian Slum/Informal Settlement Federation in Irede and other communities, has also revealed that 25.4 percent of the population depend on water vendors for survival.
It also showed that the majority of residents, who reported malaria as the most common illness, depended on roadside drug sellers, traditional medicine before visiting the hospital.
The research, titled: ‘Giving Voice to Slums: Creating Digital Urban Platform for Community Self-Reporting Amid COVID-19’, was carried out to understand the socio-economic conditions and health behaviours of these communities during COVID-19 .
The research group, headed by the Principal Investigator, Department of Geography, University of Lagos, Dr. Peter Elias, revealed that during the lockdown, education of children and youths were put on hold and 48 per cent self-employed and 26.3 per cent of residents, who are traders struggled to survive without palliatives.
Other members of the group include, co-investigator, Professor Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, a former head of Department of Mass Communication and United State-based media expert from University of California, Ms. Margret Andresen.
According to the researchers, the fact that residents were struggling to make a living during the lockdown was an indication of absence of palliatives and support from the state or non-state actors, which could have encouraged strict compliance to the lockdown guidelines.
Dr. Elias stressed the need for government to map out a strategy for the disbursement of funds or resources to slum dwellers to ensure fair and equal distribution of relief materials regardless of dwelling place.
The research group also recommended that the state government invest in the provision of basic services such as water and sanitation, a strategic intervention to Covid-19 prevention as well as not discounting other diseases.
To tackle the information gap among the slum dwellers and the government, Professor Ogwezzy-Ndisika, urged relevant stakeholders in the community to use the radio and television to amplify their voices to avoid misinformation.
She said: “Our findings showed that radio and television are their preferred channels of communication with 39.10 per cent and 32.60 per cent getting information from this platform.
“This implies that radio and television are the best channels for reaching the majority of the slum dwellers, while the Internet is the third option.”
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