Oando Foundation has partnered the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) to clean up Mushin, Lagos,
As part of the exercise held in Papa Ajao, the organisations educated the community and pupils of Olisa Primary School on the importance of cleanliness and turning waste to wealth.
NCF Lead Environmentalist Mrs. Abidemi Balogun said the exercise by NCF and Oando was to create awareness where communities are encouraged to keep their environments clean and healthy.
She said: “Regardless, we will be the one to take the consequences of our action. If we don’t take care of our environment, we will suffer for it. Together we will achieve a healthier environment and be healthier for it.”
She said the collaboration would also clean Ilasamaja, Orile and other communities.
On why they chose Olisa Community, she said they preferred established schools which they could adopt within the community to easily induct the children in waste- to-wealth programmes.
The NCF chief said the activity was a follow-up by the Foundation of the schools they had adopted.
Head Teacher, Methodist Secondary School, Mrs. Omolola Balewu, thanked the Oando Foundation for the initiative, saying the pupils learnt so much from the programme.
Citing her school, she acknowledged a great improvement of the pupils who are keeping their environment and themselves clean.
Mrs. Balewu said when you keep the environment clean, you keep away germs and would not contact diseases caused by dirty environment.
She urged other NGOs to take a cue from Oando Foundation and reach out to other schools to impact the children.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Chairman, Olisa Primary School, Alhaji Mufutau Adesina, said the Olisa communities were cleaning the environment daily. He said pupils had been positively impacted and were applying what they learnt to improve their environment.
He said: “The mechanics doing their business around the school are not encouraging our efforts at keeping the environment clean. On our own, we have asked them to desist from throwing their waste into the drains and to always clean the gutter around them.”
