A group of 400 level students from the Adult Education Department of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) reconstructed an abandoned borehole that serves the Tanke Oke-Odo community of Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The project was part of their fieldwork and community development intervention project, which aimed to expose them to the practical aspects of community development.
The students, who are members of the Adult and Primary Education Students’ Association (APESA), UNILORIN, identified the borehole project as the immediate need of the community, which had been suffering from water scarcity for years.
The borehole, which is located at the residence of the Chief Imam of the community, Alhaji Umar Salaudeen, had been abandoned for some years due to lack of maintenance.
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The students mobilized resources and manpower to revive the borehole project, which they said was one of the several community projects they discovered during their quest for the community intervention project. They said they chose the borehole project because it was the most pressing and impactful one for the community.
The Chief Imam of Tanke Oke-Odo, Alhaji Umar Salaudeen, expressed his appreciation to the students for their intervention, which he described as a gesture of goodwill and service to humanity. He praised the students as focused and promising leaders who have shown concern and empathy for the plight of the community.
He also prayed for the continuous progress and development of the university and solicited more support from the government and other stakeholders to address the challenges facing the community.
The President of APESA, UNILORIN, Mr. Oladejo Abiodun, said the project was a demonstration of the practical skills and knowledge they acquired from their course on community development.
He said the project was also a way of giving back to society and fulfilling their social responsibility as students and citizens. He thanked the Chief Imam and the community for their cooperation and support and assured them of the sustainability and maintenance of the borehole project.