Emmanuel Oguntoye, a 65-year-old widower whose son developed a high fever and fainted around 1 a.m., explained how health officials working at the newly built primary health center in Agurodo, Ejigbo, were able to stabilize his son through quick and efficient treatment.
According to Oguntoye, health officials rushed to his aid after his son was brought to the center with the help of relatives, and his son was treated at no cost.
“God really wants to save the life of my son. If he got sick and fainted when we used to take ill people to a primary health center or general hospital in Ejigbo due to the terrible condition of our former health center, we might lose him. Thank God you also drove into our village, and you saw the terrible condition of our road,” a thankful Oguntoye said.
Oguntoye, who disclosed that pregnant women were initially taken to Ejigbo town or Ola community whenever they wanted to labor due to the deplorable state of their former health center, stated that the health center has put a stop to the recurrence of such incidents.
“We now have a newly built and equipped health center. There’s a water supply. Our women usually trek three kilometers to fetch water from the river for the previous health center. Things have really changed. Drugs are available too,” he added.
Oguntoye, while appreciating the Community and Social Development Agency in Osun State for their efforts in making lives better for the disadvantaged and needy, solicited for more projects such as roads and transformers.
However, Agurodo is a village under Ejigbo Local Government. It is populated by hundreds of people whose major occupation is farming.
When WITHIN NIGERIA visited the community, it was observed that there’s little or no economic activity. It has no local eatery (BUKA) where visitors can eat. Visitors needed to go to the neighboring village before they could eat; it was gathered.
WITHIN NIGERIA visited two projects, namely a motorized borehole with a generating set and a newly built primary health center in the community. The borehole is a few meters away from the health center. It has two storage tanks, four taps, and a generator’s house. At the time of visitation, people were seen fetching water from the borehole.
Ronke, a 52-year-old woman, told WITHIN NIGERIA that residents usually trek more than 2 km to the Arinkinin River, where they fetch water for domestic use, before the commissioning of the borehole project by CSDA.
“The village has two wells. One of the wells has dried off while people depended on the other one, even though it does not contain clean water. People contracted typhoid and other water-borne diseases due to the bad water from wells and rivers they drank,” Ronke explained.
According to Ronke, residents of the Agurodo community now drink good water and do not need to trek kilometers to access a quality water supply.
WITHIN NIGERIA sighted an ‘abandoned hand pump borehole, which is barely 500 meters from another abandoned health center.
Findings by WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that the hand pump stopped working more than 15 years ago.
A resident simply identified as Sade claimed that the community leaders are proposing the renovation of the abandoned health center to serve as housing or quarters for health officials.
A 73-year-old woman who’s an indigene of Ola but resides in Agurodo could not hide her excitement as she beams with joy while sitting in front of the newly built health center.
According to Elizabeth, the picture of the newly built health center refreshes her memory of when the wife of his son had to be taken to Ejigbo town in the middle of the night because she wanted to deliver a baby.
“Whenever I enter this clinic for treatment or a BP check-up, I remember the stress and continue to return glory to God that we did not lose my grandson the night we rushed his mother to Ejigbo,” she disclosed.
Elizabeth, who prayed for the government and particularly CSDA to receive divine guidance to do more for the people, urged the agency not to abandon them in terms of road construction.
In an interview with WITHIN NIGERIA, Prince Oyelude Oladipupo described the projects as laudable ones.
The 80-year-old man and one of the elders of the community commended Governor Ademola Adeleke for showing concern about the plight of the people of Agurodo through the provision of financial support for CSDA.
While hailing the performance of CSDA, Prince Oladipupo bitterly complained about the poor state of roads in the town and appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke to help the town fix it.
Osun Ability Village: Helping people with disabilities find strength and hope
It was a memorable experience as WITHIN NIGERIA toured the ‘Osun Ability Village’ situated in the testing ground area, Osogbo.
The Ability Village is a special project of the Community and Social Development Agency in their quest to provide a platform for persons with disabilities.
During the tour, WITHIN NIGERIA observed that the Ability Village has four major buildings, which are: Tye and Dye Workstation, headed by a virtually-impaired man identified as Adebayo Akanbi Muritala, better known as Blind Genius; the Osun Deaf Group building; the Iyanuoluwa vulnerable group building; and the elderly persons support center.
This reporter sighted five visually impaired persons working at the Tye and Dye station. As they worked, this reporter marveled at the speed and accuracy with which they planted their desired designs on clothes.
“These people and others opted for service rather than begging for money. We pay them for their service, and we can only continue to function well if people patronize our products, as Akanbi Muritala, the blind genius, told WITHIN NIGERIA.
Muritala, who seems unhappy about the influx of China-made tye and dye materials that have flooded the market, stated that the state government needs to come to their aid and assist them to remain relevant in the business through support.
“We need money to pay our workers. We need money to run this center. If people do not patronize us, we cannot make money. I also created a special design for Yeye Dupe Adeleke, the sister of the Osun State Governor, but we have not been able to deliver these clothes to her. If prominent people wore our designs, it would boost her sales, worried Akanbi Murtala, the blind genius, lamented.
At the Osun Deaf Group building, WITHIN NIGERIA, observed that there are three sections. There is a section for barbing, a section for hairdressing, and another section for tailoring and bag-making. Both trainers and trainees are people with disabilities.
This reporter also observed that there’s low purchasing power at the building.
The majority of products made have not been purchased. I really hope it does not weaken their morale, this reporter pondered as he exited the building.
At the Iyanuoluwa vulnerable group, the story is no different. The shoe-making section seemed to be more populated with apprentices than other sections—the bag-making and tailoring sections. Within Nigeria, it was also observed that a lot of leather slippers and sandals have been made and neatly arranged in their display structure.
“CSDA really needs to embark on a free trade zone project for these hardworking people who have resolved to be useful for society. The best gain is to see their products being bought and used by people,” the reporter advised the agency after purchasing beautifully crafted leather slippers at a very reasonable price.
Mrs. Obelawo, a staff member of CSDA, stated that the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the Osun CARES project is a very remarkable decision by the agency.
“We have provided a platform for people with disabilities. We are taking them off the street to empower and strengthen them because we believe there’s ability in disability. From tie-and-dye making to tailoring to barbing to hairdressing to shoe-making, we are constantly harnessing every opportunity to make their lives better through self-empowerment,” Mrs. Obelawo stated in one of her random comments during the visit.
Osun, the only state with a center for people with disabilities
The General Manager of the Community and Social Development Agency in the State, Funmi Abokede, had earlier disclosed that Osun is the only state that has a center for persons with disabilities through the federation.
She also disclosed that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration has spent about N2 billion on 267 micro projects across the state.
These disclosures were made by the general manager at a two-day media engagement program organized by the agency. Abokede, while reeling out the achievements of the CSDA under her leadership.
She disclosed that some states within the federation have visited the center situated in Edunabo, Osun, to copy the format used for persons with disabilities.
She acknowledged that the funds were made available by Adeleke owing to his interest in the provision of basic infrastructural needs for the rural dwellers in the state.
“Governor Ademola Adeleke has continually been given full support for the execution of micro projects spread across the state. The construction of a Development Center for People with Disabilities not only shows the compassionate side of the governor but also his interest in providing a positive platform for all citizens.
The agency has provided portable water, health facilities, functioning toilets, and classrooms to several communities upon request”.
While urging communities that had benefited from the agency to ensure the maintenance of projects, Abokede appealed to the state government to insert more funds into CSDA to implement positive and useful micro-projects in rural areas.
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