Mr Moses Olusegun, member, Board of Directors, Kogi State Community and Social Development Agency (KGCSDA), has called on Local Government Councils in the State to complement government and World Bank interventions in community development projects.
Olusegun made the call on Saturday when when he led a monitoring team on inspection tour of on-going micro projects being executed in Igbaruku, Isanlu and Ife-Olukotun communities in Yagba East and West Local Government Areas.
The Board member of the World Bank-Assisted Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) said that the inspection visit was part of the oversight functions of the board members.
Accordingly to him, the monitoring exercise is to ensure that funds released by the Agency in support of community projects are judiciously utilised for the purposes intended as demanded by the World Bank.
According to the Team Lead, Local Governments could assist in grading and rehabilitation of rural roads and maintenance of installations within their immediate environment.
“Failure on the part of the local governments to play their complementary roles in this direction will no doubt, negate the efforts of government and hinder growth and development of rural communities”, he said.
Olusegun directed the Community Projects Management Committees (CPMCs) handling various micro projects in the area to forward updated records of their projects to the Agency’s headquarters in Lokoja by Tuesday next week.
This, according to him, will enable the Agency to release the third tranche of their funds for timely completion of the on-going intervention projects, implemention of which he described as commendable.
He charged the CPMC members to take ownership of the projects, embrace maintenance culture in maintaining them and as well, ensure they were secured and protected against vandalization.
Olusegun commended Mallam Dauda Momoh, General Manager of the Agency and his staff for supporting the efforts to enhance the living standard of members of rural communities.
The projects inspected by the Monitoring team include; earth road reconstruction and culverts at Igbaruku, construction of drainage at Isanlu and Town Hall and Public Toilet construction at Ife-Olukotun.
The Secretaries of CPMCs at Igbaruku and Isanlu, Folunsho Dayo and Nasir Tiamiyu respectively, in their separate remarks, thanked the CSDA for its support toward the execution of the projects.
