Adaobi’s gift lights up Makoko

Makoko is an informal settlement is located on the coast of mainland Lagos. A third of the community is built on stilts along the lagoon and mostly inhabited by Egun people, who migrated from Badagary and the Republic of Benin.

Fishing is the main occupation of the people in a community numbering over 80,000. Makoko rests on structures constructed on stilts above the Lagos Lagoon and the people contend with many challenges one of which is power.

As a result of this power problem, children struggle to study at night, the sound of generators rend the air. The little school in the community lacked fans and charging phones and devices was difficult.

About five babies on average are delivered every week in the shanty community but they have to start life under difficult circumstances, battling filth, mosquitoes, thundering generators and breathing in fumes from these generators into their fragile lungs.

A kind-spirited Nigerian is addressing this challenge showing that one can make a difference not just as a government. Adaobi Onwinde, Policy & Partnerships Manager at All On, a Shell-seeded off-grid energy impact investment firm is funding the solar installation at a local school and hospital in Makoko.

Through her support and the effort of others, a total of 5.82kW of capacity of solar power with 3.1kW installation is powering the local school in Makoko and another 2.7 kW facility is powering the hospital at the cost of N3.5million including smart TVs to improve learning the school.

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Adaobi’s gift is helping to improve learning outcomes in the community powering fans and television sets in the classroom, energy to charge devices, keep things cool and improve conditions in the local hospital.

“If all I have done is give the gift of solar that helps light up a community and ensures a safer place for kids to be born and a functioning school for them to at least start their education, I’m content, “ said Onwinde.

A career communications professional, Onwinde started out as an unpaid intern at the White House in Hillary Clinton’s Press Office during President Clinton’s first term, while in college. She studied print journalism at George Washington University in Washington DC and received a Masters in Broadcast and International Affairs from American University also in DC.

She told BusinessDay that even though she did not grow up in Nigeria, she believes in the potential of the country enough to move back with her family to Nigeria some 14 years ago.

“I’m a big believer that community service and volunteerism pays in the long run. I’ve been the beneficiary of the goodwill of others that have led to so many blessings, so I’m deliberate about paying it forward,” she said.

The latest installation was done by Auxano Solar firm, over the course of 5 hours and Onwinde was there to oversee the project.

“During those five hours, I got to move around the community and learned about the maternity hospital. It was shocking to imagine that life started there amid the noise and pollution from a diesel generator! I couldn’t afford to do both projects at once, but I figured I would raise awareness and hopefully, others would take the hospital on” she said.

It worked because people heard about it on social media and help came even though COVID-19 affected the plan but she never gave up.

She came back one year later to see how the solar project was faring and discovered the hospital solar project can no longer wait. With support from colleagues and friends, Onwinde and her team spent hours in the community setting up a solar power project in the hospital.

Onwinde said the lesson to take away the experience is that “we are fortunate only by the grace of God and so we have a responsibility to help better a lot of people in whatever community we live in, whatever small way we can. We don’t need to wait for the government or organizations. In a place like Nigeria, it doesn’t take that much to transform lives.”