page 20
The
Special Edition
BOSS NEWSPAPER
Let There Be Water: A TESTAMENT OF OLUKOYA’S WATER REVOLUTION
Dr. Olukoya matches preaching of Christian love, compassion, charity and humility on the pulpit with practical deeds through a silent revolution by which he is redefining evangelical vocation and philanthropy.
Here are highlights as captured through the lenses and voices of some of the numerous beneficiaries.
By Kolawole Igandan
I
communities and approved the drilling of n the beginning, there were dry taps everywhere including the boreholes across a nexus of streets Iwaya and Onike; old suburbs of the Lagos metropolis, which surrounding the church premises. are just a nudging distance from Yaba, the central business Among those that benefitted from the district of the Mainland. These areas have for long been hooked to gesture are Chi Quality Cool Spot, the network of the Lagos State Water Corporation, which supplies opposite First Bank, Andoyi, Akintunde water from Iju Water Works to different parts of the state. and Johnson streets. But for various factors, among which is the notorious official red Although the water point installations tape, inefficiency, lack of funds, poor management, the sight of also serve the needs of the church gushing water from the public taps and within homes in these members, especially during special neighbourhoods became a rarity! programmes, they have become primary If it ever comes, it is in fitful drops, and on occasions when the sources of water on which corporation takes pity on the populace, which has residents, families as well suffered for so long. as those who ply their In the face of this acute water scarcity, a line in the We're indebted to trades in the nearby Ballard of the Old Ancient Mariner - "Water, popular Onike market Dr. Olukoya for water everywhere, yet not a drop to drink" depend. ending water scarcity becomes a common dirge among residents of TESTIMONIALS nightmare in the communities, which border the swampy “When they have a Iwaya/Onike shores of the Lagos lagoon. programme, a lot of Although a fairly high-density area, demand for people come to fetch accommodation began to drop as the dire situation water here. Since it is close scared prospective tenants away, and forced others to the market, you will see already living there to relocate. But a remedy was on the market women, young boys and girls in way evening queuing to fetch water here. The Olukoya/MFM to the Rescue church has helped the people with the But the groans of the landlords and the people turned into joy some provision of water which was one of the years back when the MFM, through its Corporate Social problems we had before,"- Timi Responsibility (CSR) programme provided a set of boreholes to Emokenighan, security guard, INITS alleviate their sufferings of residents where its headquarters was Computer Office. located. A member of the committee involved in The General Overseer, Dr. Olukoya, took immediate steps to the installation of the borehole project at restore water sanity. He ordered a survey of the needs of the
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