The Lagos State Community Development Advisory Council (CDAC) on Tuesday urged all Community Development Associations (CDAs) in the state to collaborate effectively to advance and develop grassroots communities. The call was made during an interactive session organized by the Ikorodu Community Development Committee (CDC) at the Ikorodu Local Government Secretariat, Lagos.
The event, held in partnership with the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA), Lagos State Waste Management Authority, and CLEAN Eye Foundation, aimed to foster cooperation among CDAs and address the various challenges encountered by these associations.
Alhaji Azeez Amuzat, Chairman of CDAC, emphasized the importance of CDAs working as partners to gather intelligence and implement initiatives that will benefit grassroots residents. He encouraged the CDAs to collaborate closely to ensure the effective dissemination of government policies and programs, leading to significant development at the grassroots level.
“The CDAs in Lagos state should work in synergy on information sharing to curb insecurity because they are closer to the people. They should work together so that the grassroots will benefit maximally from government policies and programs,” stated Amuzat.
Mr. Lukman Shonibare, Chairman of the Ikorodu Community Development Committee (CDC), highlighted the purpose of the interactive session, which was to sensitize members on tackling the numerous challenges faced by CDAs. The session brought in representatives from various state government ministries and agencies, such as LABSCA, to address issues like defective houses, ECOWAS-related travel concerns, insecurity, and drug-related cases.
“We are bringing policy from the state government ministries and parastatals to the grassroots. After this meeting, the CDA executives will disseminate what they have learned here,” Shonibare explained.
Earlier, Mr. Wasiu Adesina, Executive Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government, urged the associations to reorganize themselves and adhere to the laws set forth by the CDAC of Lagos State. He stressed the importance of having the Agriculture Departments of local governments as the third-party signatory to the CDAs’ accounts.
Mrs. Simisola Orisaya-Taiwo, Director of LABSCA, reminded the association members always to seek permission from the agency for their building projects to prevent building collapses. She also advised them to adhere to the policy on building construction.
As a recognition of outstanding efforts, awards of excellence were presented to the best CDA and the best-performing executives during the event.
