Sanwo-Olu Support Group Storms Eputu, Ibeju-Lekki

By Damola Emmanuel

A support group for Lagos State All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has stressed the need for communities to embark on environmental sanitation to improve the health of its citizens.

The group, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Touching Lives (BOS- TL), made the call recently at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, while caring out a sanitation exercise at Eputu Community.

With health, education and environment as key values in the society, and its own areas of interest, the group said it was determined to mobilise and encourage young people to live by these principles.

Speaking to newsmen, during the environmental sanitation exercise in Eputu, which drew a large crowd of young people equipped with various materials to carry out the sanitation exercise, the group’s convener, Sesan Awonoiki, said the exercise aimed at underscoring the importance of keeping the environment clean.

“We decided to get involved physically and not just talk, about it, in order to drive home the message of saving our environment more effectively.

“We are supporting our candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and at the same time teaching homes the key values in our society, which are also the cardinal focus of our group. These are health, education and the environment. They are the key areas we want to use to impact people’s lives.

“That is why we mobilising the youth to understand the importance of the environment; to understand the importance of keeping the environment clean and be very positive and focussed about the sanitation of the environment. That is why we have come to demonstrate that it is not just about talking about this important issue but walking the talk it. That is why we are all here today to get involved, rolled our sleeves and work.”

Awonoiki also restated that the group was focussing on the youth “because they are the tomorrow, and if we don’t get the right values into tomorrow, how can we expect them to live properly in the future.”

On the choice of Eputu community, Awonoiki said: “when I was here 20 years ago, the whole place was littered; it had open latrines and there were lots of rubbish on the streets. But over the time, they were educated and became enlightened. Therefore, we felt there could not have been a better place to kick off the campaign.”

A founding member of group, Gbenga Akintola, stressed that one of the essence of the initiative was to teach the people of Eputu on how to dispose their wastes effectively. “Sanitation gives good health which, in turn,  leads to increased productivity. The idea, therefore, is to get people to understand the importance of good health and sanitation in their lives.

“Eputu town in Ibeju Lekki is in the east central district of Lagos State. Basically, we want the people to imbibe the culture of keeping the environment clean and appreciate the fact that they can turn waste to wealth; they can create things out of waste. All these wastes can be recycled. However, the most important thing is to keep our environment clean and tidy because when you are very clean, the rate at which you would be falling sick would be reduced”, Akintola added.