Nigerian man converts drums into wash-hand basins to help fight COVID-19

When Bamigbose Adams, a graduate of economics education, completed his National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) programme, he was confronted with the big question: What next?

After several fruitless efforts to get a job, Adams decided to think out of the box and grind something out of his situation.

It was while pondering on what he could do to fend for himself and his immediate family that the thought of coverting waste materials such as tyres into something that can be used at homes struck him.

“When I left graduated from school and served my father’s land, I couldn’t get a job. At a point, I got tired of submitting Curriculum Vitae (CV) to organisations,” he told BBC.

“So, I started thinking of what I can do to feed myself and people around me. That was when I decided to put wastes including tyres together and started using them to make chairs and other things that people to use at home.”

Adam’s novelty and penchant for seeking solutions to problems also came to the fore when Nigeria recorded its index case of the coronavirus pandemic.

The gifted youth had come up with the idea of converting drums into wash-hand basins to encourage people to wash their hands regularly in Nigeria, especially at public places, to fight the pandemic.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), regular washing of hands is one of the ways to avoid getting infected with the virus.

Adams explained the initiative was his own way of joining ongoing efforts to fight against spread of the novel disease in the country.

“When the coronavirus pandemic broke out, I started thinking of what I can do with wastes again that can be of benefit to the people and still appreciate,” he said.

“Then I got one drum, cut it and added somethings together to make a wash-hand basin that can be placed in front of homes or streets that passers-by can use to wash their hands.

“This is my own way of helping Nigeria to fight the disease, The wash hand basin can be placed in front of houses, offices, shops, markets and even roadsides.”

He went on to urge Nigerians to ensure compliance with several directives given by authorised health bodies including sitting down at home.

“As it is now, we can’t differentiate between those who have the virus and those who don’t. So, it’s essential we all try wash our hands and stay at home,” he added.

Nigeria has 190 confirmed cases of the pandemic as at the time of filling this report, with over 1,000,000 people infected with the virus globally.