The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) has implored secondary school students to come up with innovations to address water, sanitation and hygiene issues in the State.
The Managing Director/CEO of the Corporation, Engr. Muminu Adekunle Badmus gave the charge at the Grand Finale and Maiden Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Essay Competition organised by the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE), in collaboration with Lagos Water Corporation, as part of activities marking the 2023 World Water Day.
He commended participants, comprising 80 students from six education districts, in the essay competition, saying the students must go beyond classroom knowledge to provide solutions.
Badmus urged secondary school students to keep participating in the competition to boost their knowledge and hone their research skills to become solution providers.
He cited the example of Ansar-deen Grammar School, Surulere which invented a Water Filtration and Purification system a few years ago and won the Nigerian Stockholm Junior Water Prize with it.
The National Chairman of NIMechE, Dr. Funmilade Akingbagbohun, said over 80 schools from six education districts participated in the essay writing on topics related to water, sanitation and hygiene.
Akingbagbohun said the competition was organised to address the issue of water sanitation and hygiene in Nigeria, stressing that engineering is about problem-solving.
She said all hands must be on deck for effective collaboration toward achieving a clean environment, adding that the use of polluted drinking water and poor sanitary conditions in Nigeria had increased waterborne diseases including diarrhea and cholera.
The Chairman gave statistics on the consequences of poor sanitation and water and the need to target the youth as game changers to provide solutions.
In his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor 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 urged the students to create prototypes of ideas they have for solving problems in their communities.
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.
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.
