By Adeyinka Adeniran
The Oyo State Community and Social Development Agency (OYCSDA) on Tuesday, distributed funds to 30 communities across the state.
The Micro-Projects, which are based on ‘felt-need’ importance from each community are under school construction or renovation, community health center’s construction or renovation, erosion control as well as provision of portable water.
In his keynote address at the training and disbursement of funds to the communities at the House of Chiefs, House of Assembly Complex, Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan, the Chairman, Oyo State Community and Social Development Agency (OYCSDA), Hon. Abideen Adeaga eulogized Governor Seyi Makinde for approving the funding of the micro-projects.
He said the projects which include: construction of culverts and line drainages in five communities, construction or renovation of community health centers in seven communities, construction or renovation of a block of three classrooms in eighteen communities and drilling of motorized boreholes in 30 communities.
Adeaga said the micro-projects were meant to expand access to basic health care, education, good roads and portable water, which were part of the effort of the incumbent administration to fulfill the promises made under the popular manifesto tagged ‘Oyo State Roadmap to Sustainable Development 2023-2027 (Omituntun-2.0).
He said, “In line with the Governor’s strategic moves, OYCSDA is intervening in communities that prioritized culverts and line drainages for improved access roads, building or renovation of school buildings and community health centers, this way Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration is creating employment, conducive teaching and learning environment, access to portable water to defeat waterborne diseases as well as improved access to health care services by all and sundry.
“Permit me to recount that when the OYO-CARES took off officially in year 2022, the budget could only cover 48 communities, then the maximum grant to communities was N15million, but His Excellency has magnanimously increased it to N18million when inflation affected cost of materials.
“Despite the intervention at the planned 48 communities, the Governor approved supplementary funds for implementation of micro-projects in 66 communities, bringing it to a total of 114 communities benefiting from 256 micro-projects across the state.
“In a surprising turn, Governor Makinde recently approved the release of more funds for intervention in additional 30 communities in a move to ensure more people and more communities have improved access to micro infrastructure services that improve their lives.”
In his words, the Deputy Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly and Chairman, House Committee on Project Monitoring, Rt. Hon. Abiodun Fadeyi, who was a special guest at the event, urged the benefiting communities to embrace due diligence and probity during the project execution exercise, as the State’s anti-corruption agency (OYACA) would be watching.
While appreciating the OYCSDA on behalf of other benefiting communities, the Chairman of Agbedo Community Management Committee, Prof. Israel Adesiyan said the efforts of the State and OYCSDA in alleviating the conditions of various communities in Oyo State deserved accolades, adding that the people in the areas would continue to pray for the Seyi Makinde-led administration to end well.
