Ekiti receives motorized washing machines
From Victor Akinkuole Ado-Ekiti
As part of the efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus, a Non- Governmental Organisation, Gender Mobile Initiatives (GMI) has donated motorised hand washing machines to Ekiti State government .
Speaking during the donation, the Executive Director, Omowumi Ogunrotimi, said the machines would be effective in tackling the spread of the disease in Ekiti , because it has no contact that could further aid outbreak of the disease.
The handing over , facilitated by the Ekiti State Ministry of Public Utilities and Infrastructure, was done in presence of the international partners against COVID-19 like the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and European Union .
The Executive Director said the donation was targeted at ridding the state of the deadly disease that had affected 19 persons, adding that the fact that the machines are contact -free would mitigate further escalation of the disease when put to use.
Ogunrotimi added that the NGO has been a vanguard of gender equality in Ekiti, partnering the government to promote girl child education and widows’ empowerment as well as stop the incidences of rape and child trafficking.
“This organisation is leveraging on the use of technology to bring about a change in the lifestyles of our people , because technology is mobile.
“Available statistics confirmed that about 60 million population lack access to water in Nigeria . Another 50m lack access to the use of soap and water and that was why we designed a compact hand washing device that can contain large volume of water with a soap hanged on them that can be strategically stationed for people to comply with minimum hygiene under this COVID 19 spread.
“These devices have different categories , there are some that contains 50kgs of water, some 100kg and 200kgs depending on sizes. When water is available, it will be easy to make people maintain personal hygiene in public places.
“We have come up with products that were best suited to fight COVID-19 and which can be manufactured locally . They are easy to refill . They can be used in our communities and they dispense water and soap without contact”.
The Permanent Secretary, Engr Olumide Ajayi, who spoke for the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Hon Bamidele Faparusi, said the NGO had been a strong partner in the fight against open defecation in the state.
Faparusi said: “The current action taken was an attestation to the fact that Ekiti can’t prosecute the COVID 19 battle all alone. It needs the collaboration of private bodies and individuals to win this war”.
Receiving the machines on behalf of the state government, the Director General, Office of Transformation, Strategy and Delivery , Prof. Bolaji Aluko, stated that promotion of water sanitation and hygiene are important remedies against the current pandemic blowing across the nations of the world.
“The government has done a lot of sensitisation about the use of masks and hand washing since the outbreak of this disease.
“We need an integrated solution like this, because the tanks are big enough to contain large volume of water that can be placed in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government for maintenance of hygiene.
“The government will evaluate its usefulness and if found to be good for our citizens, the government shall order for more machines that can be put in public places for the use of our residents”, he said.