Philanthropist Donates 50,000-Litre Borehole, Solar Lights to Sokoto Girls’ School

From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

A philanthropist, Alhaji Ahmad Lula, has donated a 50,000-litre motorised borehole, water reticulation system and solar-powered streetlights to Government Arabic Girls Day Secondary School, Yar’Akija, in Sokoto North Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The facilities were inaugurated by the Sokoto State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ladan Ala, at the school.

Speaking at the inauguration, Lula said the intervention was aimed at addressing persistent water shortages, improving sanitation and hygiene, and reducing students’ dependence on unsafe sources of water.

He explained that the project was designed to meet the growing water needs of the school population while improving security through the installation of solar-powered streetlights.

The facilities include a 50,000-litre storage tank, a generator, water pumping equipment and a reticulation network to ensure the distribution of potable water to strategic locations within the school premises.

Lula said access to clean water and improved sanitation would enhance students’ welfare, particularly female students, and create a more conducive learning environment.

He added that the intervention could encourage girls’ enrolment and retention in school by addressing some of their specific hygiene and welfare needs.

The philanthropist urged the school management to take ownership of the facilities, protect them against vandalism and ensure regular maintenance for long-term sustainability.

In his remarks, the Sokoto State Chairman of Ward Development Committees (WDC), Dr Bala Gadanga, said the project followed consultations with community representatives and an assessment of the school’s most pressing needs.

Gadanga explained that during engagements with representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), community stakeholders highlighted challenges relating to water supply, hygiene and sanitation, identifying access to potable water as the school’s most urgent concern.

He said the WDC and Yar’Akija Community Forum facilitated the consultations that eventually led to the intervention.

According to him, Lula demonstrated his commitment to community development by responding to the needs of his people through the provision of the comprehensive water supply system.

Gadanga commended the philanthropist and called on other well-to-do individuals to support initiatives that improve access to basic social amenities in their communities.

Earlier, Commissioner Ala described the intervention as life-saving, noting that access to clean water was essential to students’ health and general well-being.

He urged the school authorities to establish an effective management structure to safeguard the borehole, pumping equipment, storage tank, pipelines and distribution points against vandalism.

The school principal, Hajiya Shafa’atu Balarabe, said the provision of potable water would significantly improve living conditions within the school and neighbouring communities.

She appealed to teachers, students and residents to protect the facilities and ensure they remain functional for present and future generations.

Also speaking, a teacher responsible for water management in the school, Malam Nura Yasayyadi, said the project would ease the school’s longstanding water challenges.

He disclosed that the school management had previously relied on purchasing water in jerrycans from vendors daily to meet its needs.