The Ecumenical Water Network, Africa has commended the Oyo State Community and Social Development Agency for prioritising water availability across the state.
This commendation was given by the organisation’s Regional Coordinator, Kolade Fadahunsi, on Wednesday, during a courtesy visit to OYCSDA Chairman, Abideen Adeaga, in his office.
EWNA, in a statement by the Project Public Relations Officer of OYCSDA, Alhazan Rilwan, in Ibadan, the state capital, said the visit was part of the advocacy programmes embarked upon by the body to call for the availability of water in five major African countries, namely, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Kenya.
Rilwan said, “The focus in Nigeria is on the South West of the country. It is commendable that the ongoing 66 projects of OYCSDA across the state that are basically on education, health, sanitation and erosion control, encompass water provision for every sector of the projects, as directed by the World Bank and the state government, under the Nigerian Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus.
“While extending warm greetings from Ecumenical Water Network, Africa, and commend your efforts in transforming the 33 Local Government Areas of the state, we are delighted to inform you that your initiatives have made a lasting impact on the communities.
“Our organization has been advocating for water availability in five African countries of Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Kenya, while in Nigeria, we focus on South West, we are excited about the yearly Africa Water Week, which is usually in the week of 21-26 October annually.
“This event aligns with our mission to promote water as a right and combat privatization, we are impressed by OYCSDA’s prioritization of water availability in this state, particularly the 66 ongoing micro-projects across local governments.”
The Chairman of OYCSDA, Abideen Adeaga, appreciated the EWNA team and promised to do more to sustain the legacy of sustainable community development of Governor Seyi Makinde in the state.
He said the state was poised to increase the availability, affordability and accessibility of citizens to portable water without leaving out any area in the state.
In a related development, the OYCSDA commenced training for its employees to enhance their performance and productivity at work.
The ongoing training was held in Ibadan, the state capital, on Wednesday, with the theme “Improving Productivity In Community Development Work.”
The resource person, Siyanbola Adegoke, spoke on improving business/workplace etiquette, stakeholder relationship management, effective communication and the need for time management among other core areas of discussion.
He urged the staff to maintain diligence, hard work and resilience in the face of constraints at work, to deliver more to the communities in the state that are the major stakeholders in their work focus.
Adeaga said the recent approval given for the 66 micro-projects called for more productivity and hard work from the members of staff, which necessitated the training event.
The General Manager of OYCSDA, Salau Jelili, reiterated the commitment of the state government under Governor Makinde to do more towards positively impacting the populace.
PUNCH
