By Salau Jelili.
Determined to move the State from poverty to prosperity and develop a sustainable prosperous State, with expanded opportunities for all, His Excellency, the Executive Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde mandated the Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) to formulate policies and utilize strategies for effective implementation of programme geared towards poverty reduction and Community development.
The project interventions approach is Community-Driven Development (CDD), where the Community partners with the State government which empowers them with training and funding, in identifying, designing, co-planning, part-financing, implementing, supervising, monitoring, maintaining and taking ownership of sustainable and socially-inclusive, multi-sectoral micro-projects. This had been adjudged the best due to its inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, cost-effectiveness, efficient resource use, equity and wider-participation.
Before the Agency’s establishment in 2008 by State Act of Parliament, there was a World-Bank assisted pilot projects called Local Empowerment and Environmental Management Project (LEEMP), which its success led to the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP), that closed in June 2021, with huge impacts and achievements, where the OYCSDA was awarded the best water/sanitation projects implementation.
In order to ensure all-round development within the nooks and crannies of the state, the present administration released fund to sustain and replicate the World-Bank CSDP across the state, with thirteen (13) micro-projects, between 2021-2022, comprising of Boreholes, Health Centre, Culvert with line-drains and electricity.
Also, the Agency has been included in the State budget-line. This innovative moves indicate that the sustenance of the Agency is very promising even when the World-Bank withdraws.
Thereafter, in view of the adverse effect of COVID-19 pandemic and way-out of cushioning its effect, NG-CARES (Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus commenced in 2022. As an emergency relief intervention, designed to support budgeted programs of expenditure at the State level, targeted vulnerable and poor households, with the instrument of “Programme for Result”(PforR), the OYCSDA is intervening on basic service infrastructural micro-projects on Education, Health, Water/Sanitation, Erosion Control and Nutrition.
Passionate about improving the welfare of the people, His Excellency strongly committed to the adoption of CDD in implementing the projects. This is evident in the stakeholders consultative meeting on annual Budget and gracious released of fund to five (5) Agencies in implementing NG-CARES, Such as; Oyo State Community and Social Development Agency (OYCSDA), Oyo State Investment Promotion and Public-Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPPA) which enhances the small and medium enterprises, Labor Intensive Public Workfare (LIPW) which provide employment with stipend to unemployed youths, Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) which provides farm inputs and assets for farmers and the State Cash Transfer Unit (SCTU) which provides cash stipend for the poor, aged, sick, vulnerable and persons with disabilities.
Under the stewardship of Engr. Seyi Makinde, OYCSDA has witnessed unprecedented achievement cutting across various sectors of project interventions, such as education, health, water/ sanitation and Erosion Control, in which all parts of the state had feelings of his Excellency’s good governance. On NG-CARES, the agency’s interventions had reached 114 communities, comprising of 256 micro projects with well-furnished school buildings, equipped community health centers, motorized boreholes, VIP-toilets, culverts, and line-drains 355, 263 people across the state.
On the Agency’s commitment to enhance the welfare of citizenry, particularly the vulnerable, the psycho-social support was periodically carried out with counseling, provision of foodstuff, medication, cash and school materials, so as to motivate them to participate in the implementation, utilization, maintenance and sustainability of their micro projects. Over 12,000 beneficiaries had accessed the support.
In consonance with the ‘Roadmap to Sustainable Development 2023-2024’ Omituntun-2.0, the Agency is working assiduously to reduce out-of-school children, child mortality, women morbidity, erosion hazards, water borne diseases, open defecation while increasing school’s enrolment, health-care’s renovation with equipment and staff as well as renovation of both special and formal basic schools.
Promising a brighter future and improved quality of life for residents of various communities, the Executive Governor had approved both budget for NG-CARES and state budget for replicated projects, so as to ensure evenly distributed development across the state, then the communities can express interest in the forthcoming NG-CARES 2.0 project intervention which has been renamed ‘Nigeria community action for Resilience and Economic stimulus.’
While expressing sincere gratitude to His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde, on his unwavering support for the Agency, I also commend the Honourable commissioner for Finance and Chairman of the state CARES steering committee, as well as appreciating the office of the accountant-general and the state CARES co-coordinating unit. Also, the late Honourable chairman, Hon. Babatunde Eesuola and the current Hon. Abideen Adetokunbo Adeaga are amazing leaders and fantastic role-models, Board members, the management and the entire staff are highly applauded for their diligence, commitment to excellence, loyalty, dedication, teamwork, professionalism with integrity and resilience which have been the cornerstone of our unprecedented achievements.
On a final note, the agency’s staffs have been well-equipped, adequately trained, with required facilities and expertise, thereby, ever- ready for promoting community driven Development approach so as to successfully achieve the roadmap to sustainable development 2023-2027 Omituntun-2.0, as excerpt from agenda 2040, and mainstreaming the Africa Agenda 2063, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in taking the state to greater heights.
●Salau Jelili is the General Manager, OYCSDA, Osuntokun Avenue, Ibadan, Oyo State.
