Osun CSDP Presents Scorecard Of Promises Kept On Community, Social Development As Beneficiaries Testify

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

The General Manager of Osun Agency for Community and Social Development Project (CSDP), Mrs Funmi Abokede has disclosed that no fewer than one million, two hundred and sixty-six thousand people in four hundred and nineteen poor communities in the state have benefited from the interventions of agency.

Abokede said the interventions of the agency cut across critical sectors like Road, Electricity, Health, Education, Water, Environmental and Sanitation, and Social supports for the vulnerable in the state.

She made the disclosure while presenting the score card of achievement of Osun Agency for Community and Social Development Project at the end of the two-day workshop organised by the agency for selected media Practitioners in the state.

Themed “Empowerment of Poor Communities Through Community and Social Development Project, Abokede said it was not a gainsaying that thousands of lives have been transformed through the laudable and life-changing programmes of the agency.

She said, the agency, which started its operations in 2009 is using Community Driven Development approach in its interventions, adding that the system has proved very productive, just as she said the agency has disbursed N3.7bn naira sourced from the World Bank (N2.9bn) and the state government of Osun (N813m).

In her words; “the success of CSDP is in four divisions; they are Economic development leading to increase in employment, Infrastructural development like water, electricity and others, Human development as in education, health, social development and Environmental sustainability”.

Abokede stated the project’s challenges to be limited funding and low adoption of CDD (Community Driven Development) approach.

“CSDP interventions in some communities include: Construction and equipping of braille press centre which is the first of it’s kind in South-West, Nigeria; construction and equipping of Skill Acquisition Centre, Olorunda Local Government Construction of mini-bridge and reinforced retaining wall, Mowo Oba, Isokan Local Government.

“Others are redistribution of electricity and stringing of cables in Eyigun, Atakumosa East LG; drilling and reticulation of Motorized borehole in Apaso community, Ede, Ede north, building of student library in Ilobu, Irepodun local government, facilitation of transformers in Okinni, Egbedore local government and so many others”, she added.

Borehole at Ada-owode community
While backing her analysis with pictorial evidences of how the agency transformed many rural communities from different parts of the state, Abokede urged journalists to partner with the agency to ensure that its numerous projects are showcased to the world, adding that this would encourage others to partner with them in achieving more goals.

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Some of the beneficiaries of Osun Agency for Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) applauded the agency for touching many lives through the intervention of CSDP in various communities across the state.

The representatives of Gaa-fulani community and physically challenged people who spoke at the workshop shared their testimonies of how the agency came to their rescue to change many lives for better expressed their gratitude to the agency saying they have done tremendously well.

A deaf, Mr Olaniyi Temitope and Mr Olayemi Adeleye Lucky who is also a spinal cord patient said they have grace of still being alive because of the roles Osun CSDP played in their lives.

The duo said they would have become burden for their families but due to the plausible life changing programme Interventions of the agency many of them can now feed themselves and their families without depending on anybody.

They said the agency had deemed it fit to ensure that despite their challenges they still have something doing to keep their bodies and souls apart from medical care services gotten through the agency.