A few community leaders in the Tori-Lovi neighbourhood of Badagry, Lagos State, on Monday, bemoaned the absence of basic services there.
In Badagry’s Olorunda Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Tori-Lovi is the next community across from Age-Mowo.
In separate interviews conducted in Badagry with NAN, some leaders claimed that their ability to function had been significantly hampered by the absence of essential services including excellent roads, primary healthcare facilities, markets, and electricity.
The community’s roadways, according to Chief Gabriel Gbetoho, the traditional leader (Baale) of the Tori-Lovi, are in appalling shape.
“Tori-Lovi community was founded about 700 years ago by our forefathers but the roads within the community are in a bad state because Lagos State Government has not reconstructed them.
“Our roads have been neglected over the years, and we consistently have been involved in ensuring that we vote peacefully during elections. Our professions are farming and fishing and due to bad roads, we find it very hard to get our farm produce to the markets in Badagry and Alaba. During the rainy season, it is always difficult to drive on the road because of water.
“We are appealing to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and Mr. Samson Olatunde, the Chairman of Olorunda LCDA to come to our rescue,” he said.
The absence of a primary health centre in the neighbourhood was addressed by Mr. Sewanu Pinponsu, a prominent member of the community and a former councillor.
He claims that expecting mothers must travel many miles to the General Hospital in Badagry and the primary health centre in Mowo before receiving care.
“Getting medical care is a huge challenge for many of us in our Tori-Lovi community, we have to travel kilometres to neighbouring communities to access healthcare, and this is very bad.
“Some of our mothers die on the way to hospital while our children give up the ghost on their way to nearest health centre. We want the government to build a good health centre for us here that we can make use of,” he said.
Another issue facing the community, according to farmer and community leader Mr. Jogbenu Olorunnisola, is the availability of energy and a healthy market.
“In Tori-Lovi community, we do not have transformer and the ones supplying us is from the neighbouring community and we are on shift. Sometimes, the community will be on outage for complete one month and this has led to some people leaving the community.
“No standard market for us to sell our goods, we travel as far as Agbalata and Alaba markets to sell,” he said.
The community’s youth leader, Mr. David Padonu, lamented the absence of schools for the neighbourhood’s children and youth.
“There is no primary and secondary schools in Tori-Lovi community, youths and children have to go as far as Badagry and Mowo to study. We want the government to build our own primary and secondary schools in Tori-Lovi, we have land for all these.
“Due to lack of electricity supply, most of the youth are into commercial okada riding. Government should repair our roads and empower youths in the community and help us to complete our town hall,” he said.
