Residents of Aleelo Village in Akufo, Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, have lamented how they have to trek several kilometres to access potable water.
They disclosed this on Tuesday during the inauguration of a well donated by Miss Namatai Tembo, a student of IITA International School, Ibadan.
The Village Head, Mr Musliu Olabanji, said the village, before the donated well, had no access to potable water.
According to him, the people had since stopped going to the only river in the village because of the fear of being killed by an evil spirit.
This, he said, had made the villagers trek several kilometres to nearby villages to get water for their domestic use.
One of the women leaders in the village, Mrs Akindele Olatundun, said the donated well was strategic and would help to reduce their stress.
Olatundun said that water from the well would enable them to live a positive and meaningful life in addition to serving the neighbouring community.
She appreciated the donor and appealed to the Oyo State Government and other well-meaning Nigerians to provide them with boreholes in order for them to access potable water and enjoy the dividends of democracy.
Earlier, Tembo, the donor of the well, said the idea of providing rural communities with water came a few years ago when she was in Grade 3.
She said the idea to sink a borehole for communities surfaced during their end-of-year project while in Grade 5, but it was not successful due to its huge financial involvement.
Tembo said they ended up donating buckets and a tank to the community in need of water, a gesture she was not satisfied with before graduating from primary school.
“I wanted to make a difference in the lives of people and communities that are in critical need of water.
“After several searches, we were able to locate Aleelo Village where they really need water, and with the help of my parents and financial support from others, I was able to donate this well water to this community,” she said.
Tembo said she was excited that her dream of providing water to those in dire need of water was successful.
The Head, IITA International School, Ibadan, Mr Shepherd Timothy, said the students’ projects aimed at enabling them to think on their own outside classroom learning.
Timothy said the impact of the project would not only be for the local communities and the school, but the world in general.
He prayed that the donor would be successful in all she does.
The project coordinator, Mrs Edith Ekun, said the project was to give students the choice and ownership of their learning.
She said it also gave them the chance and opportunity to research and find out things themselves, without the teachers giving them information to follow.
