Abagbo - Epiphany School

The village of ABAGBO is just one of many fishing communities around Lagos that has quietly minded their own business as the government and big business change the environment around them.

The community has the misfortune (though some say fortune) of being split in two by an oil pipeline that runs from the Government owned tank farm near the port of lagos, inland.

Whilst the construction of theis pipeline brought wealth to a few in the village in the form of handouts and bought contracts, it the longrun the villagers, like many others in the area, suffer due to oil spills polluting their fishing grounds.

Thus, to earn a living they are turning to the perilous activity of steal petrol from the pipelines to supplement their income... An activity that has killed hundreds in the last two years:

BBC article 40 dead December 2007

BBC article - 260 Dead December 2006

[click on pic below for full size]
I always used to get nervous walking through here, ut at lw tide we could never egt our boat n to the village nd woud hve to tieup at the fuel dump ad walk in through the contaminated area...

The locals make small holes in the piepline and let the fuel spillout and soak the surrounding sand.

They then dig holes and collect the fuel to sell on the black market or use themselves.

Meanwhile the women still dive for shellfish living in the mangrove swamps, though god knows how toxic they are...

Local pigs love 'em though


meanwhile the men still have to fish to be able to put food on the table and money in their pockets...

This is the epiphany Anglican School at Abagbo. Built on the other side of the pipeline to the village, it was contructed by a foreign contractor when the pipeline was put in.


Problem was, it was never properly finished, and being the only school in the area has become in dire need of assistance.


Unfortunately, a lot of things had been left to go to waste around this village - like this state of the art self powered medical suit that was never used and so was looted and smashed

Likewise a bore was drilled but never attached to pumps or a tank - just left to rust.

Unfortunately for that year (2008) we had comiited most of our funds already and so could only manage a small, bit vital, project - the installation of tanks and a pump and small generator.

we also managed to install some taps near the toilets and near the school building for the kids to wash themselves and drink clean water.

If the village manages to lookafter the well, the appalling state of the classrooms acn hopefull be adressed in 2009 with a new roof and new ceilings...