MOTI  Community in Olorunsogo Local Government area of Oyo State is solely rural, agrarian and almost isolated. Though situated within the land mass of Oyo State, it is mostly populated by migrants from Kwara State and Fulanis from the north. Located in the hinterland, Moti was once far from development and social amenities that people enjoy in the sub-urbs, and mortality rate was high,more like ten-a-kobo, until intervention came through a collaboration betweeen the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) and Oyo State Government.

It was gathered that before intervention in 2005,water was a scarce amenity in this rural area, so much that women used to wake up in the dead of the night, around 2a.m., to search for water from the brooks which could only supply few litres. Hence, water was such a treasure among the inhabitants that the little they got was  usually judiciously economised. The story was that, after a meal, a child was usually given some water, on request, to push the food down, while the adults had learnt to bear the pain of eating without expecting water at all times. However, woe betide any child who dared ask for more water after the first round. A sound knock was usually rammed on the head  of such a child, with the question ‘where do you expect me to get that for you’ coming from the parent involved.

Same went for healthcare facilties and schools  which were non-existent  in the community, and it was a common sight then to see children with matted, brownish hair a sign of malnourishment running about naked and dirty, with mucus streaming down their noses.

All these have changed as the community can now boast of a borehole, three block of classrooms, health centre, viewing centre and a gaari processing centre. Not only these, there is an on-going pilot school feeding project while the women are also being empowered through vocational skill acquistion programmes. Water is no longer a luxury as the borehole now supplies clean and potable water to the entire community. The children also looked neat and trim in their school uniforms with pride written on their faces  as they ate their mid-day free meal when the school was visited recently.

Speaking with journalists during a media tour of phase one of the UNICEF-assisted aid project for local  government areas and communities, in Olorunsogo, Surulere, Oriire and Oyo East Local  government areas, the Head of Moti community, Mr Mohammed Jamiu, was full of praises for the state government and UNICEF. According to Mr Jamiu, “our children were not going to school at all, but since the establishment of the school, our children have been attending school and we are also proud to have children whose chances in the future are now brighter. Also, we used to go to Igbeti for medical attention which is quite a distance away, but with the health centre we now have, we don’t go to Igbeti again. Other nearby communities like Onilaali, Eleke, Akangbe Oniyangi Gaa are also beneficiaries as their children attend the school.”

Nigerian Tribune learnt that the pilot school feeding project started in March 2010 at Moti with the foodstuffs supplied by State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB),  while the caterers, who are members of the community, were trained by the Ministry of Health (Nutrition and School Health Service Department). The feeding project has led to an increase in the number of pupils which has gone up from the initial 75 to 101. In order to give the community a sense of belonging and participation, the pupils were encouraged to plant farm products with the help of their parents. Some of the products are expected to be sold, with proceeds used to complement the feeding  project while the ones that can be consumed are made use of by the pupil. This was put in place so that gradually, they would be less dependent on the government to supply them foodstuffs. The  feeding project was in place in all the communities visited.

Other communities which have benefitted from UNICEF gesture were Tege, Ajegunle and Dariagbon, in Kisi. A farmer, Mr Ahmed Ismail who was seen fetching water from the hand-pumped borehole at Tege, said before it was dug in 2009, getting water was difficult as the people used to wake up at 2a.m. and trekked about four kilometres to streams to get water. This, he said, made typhoid a common ailment among the people. Mr Ismail, however, pleaded for more of such boreholes as one is not enough for the community, even many other people still go to the brooks to get water.

Same was the feeling of the people at Ajegunle community, as stated by Mr Abdulkareem Gbesinkese who said that prior to the drilling of borehole in 2009, typhoid was prevalent and the people used to trek long distances before they could get water. His wife, Mrs Wosilat Gbesinkese confirmed her husband’s words, adding that the borehole is usually locked at 6p.m.and opened at 6a.m. to prevent damage. She however pleaded that something should be done on the flow of water from the borehole which she said comes in trickles, resulting in long queues and fights among users.

UNICEF water projects was said to have started in 2002 in Oyo State and was to end in 2007 but was extended to 2008. Another phase (2009-2012) is currently on-going while there are many other boreholes installed in far communities.

Gaa Saliu is another community populated mainly by the Fulanis and is far away from civilisation. Notwithstanding this, the people’s lives have been transformed by the establishment of a primary school named Migrant Farmers Primary School, Gaa Saliu. Pupils from adjoining communities such as Fate, Toolo, Alawa and Alakuko also attend the school though it was learnt that the state government through its officials has found it an uphill task convincing some of the community members to send their children to school. Some of them who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune expressed the fear that their children might abandon communal life and be lost to the world at large if allowed to acquire western education while it was reliably gathered that even some of the children in school were already bethrothed to spouses.

This has however not dampened the spirit of the headteacher, Mr Abolade Ashiru Iyiola, who said the number of pupils had increased from 40 to 71. The first settler after who the community is named, Ahaji Saliu expressed joy at the development his people had experienced through the intervention of UNICEF and Oyo State government, saying “our community is now so beautiful. No other one around here looks like us. We are now the envy of others. We were using deep well before but we now have handpumped borehole. We are indeed grateful. We are still trying to talk to our people to bring their children to the school, moreso with the free meal being given our children”.

At Obamo and Ajinapa communities in Oriire Local government, a six-compartment toilet block had been constructed in CAC Primary School, Obamo and Community Primary School, Ajinapa respectively. At Methodist Primary School, Okin Panda in Surulere Local government,  a block of three classrooms had been constructed through the collaboration of UNICEF/state government and the local government while the feeding project is also on there. However, it seems the community members are yet to really appreciate the efforts towards turning their community around as the Okin  health centre was overgrown with  weeds. It was gathered that the facility was not being used by them as most of them reportedly prefer herbs to orthodox medicine.

Oloori community in Oyo East is not left out of the UNICEF project despite the difficulty in accessing the place. Journalists and officials on tour of the community had to brace themselves, especially those who have phobia for water, to be ferried across the river in a canoe to access the community.  A one- room health centre was in place while the construction of a six-classroom was ongoing to replace the dilapidated one that had been existing in the community. The process of sinking a borehole was also on as the people of the community told Nigerian Tribune that they were sourcing their drinking water from the river in which they also take their bath and wash their clothings.

In every one of these communities, they expressed joy brought about by the UNICEF-assisted projects, appealing to the government not to relent in its afforts at making life more meaningful to people in the rural areas.

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