Oyo State government has called on community leaders to ensure proper maintenance of community projects in their locality.
The chairman of the Board of the Oyo State Community and Social Development Agency, OYCSDA, Dr. Idowu Lateef Oyeleke, made the call while speaking after the meeting of the agency, held at it’s secretariat in Osuntokun Area of Ibadan, the state capital.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the inability and failure of some communities to adhere to the rules to ensure that infrastructure contributed to their community by the agency were preserved, noting that communities that failed to maintain public property or abandon public infrastructure would be blacklisted.
Oyeleke admonished groups and community leaders to ensure maintenance culture and protect the World Bank/ Oyo State government projects and facilities provided within their domains so that they could stand the test of time.
According to him, leaders had a role to play in ensuring that projects in their community were well maintained and preserved.
He stated that Governor Seyi Makinde was determined to take development to the grassroots and had promised to make life more meaningful for the people irrespective of their location in the state.
He noted that the vulnerable groups would be reached in the community development programmes, adding that the downtrodden must be liberated as he had the mandate of the governor to ensure that the agency was repositioned, more transparent, accountable and impactful in order to justify the government and World Bank investment in the activities of the agency.
Oyeleke until his appointment was a legal practitioner, and holds a PhD in Energy Law from the University Ibadan, and the state legal adviser of the PDP in Oyo State.
Some of the board members who spoke at the meeting, appreciated the support for various communities, lauding the management of CSDA for the meaningful development in the state.
Board members at the meeting include the Secretary of the board and General Manager, CSDA, Mr. Christopher Babatubde; Mrs. W. F. Odutayo, Coordinator, Legal Aid Council; Mrs. O. A. Agbeja, Chairperson, National Youth Council of Nigeria; Alhaji Shittu Hammed, Chairman, Community Development Council, CDC and Mrs. Jadesola Ajibola, Chairperson, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in Oyo State.
Other ex-officio members of the board are the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Ministry Of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Ministry of Establishment and Training as well as Ministry of Works.
