The Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy and Ethics (CSAAE), a Non-Governmental Organization, has urged Government at all levels to prioritize infrastructural development of rural communities.
CSAAE’s Executive Director, Rev. Fr. Godswill Agbagwa stated this at the grand finale of the organization’s 10th anniversary celebrations in Owerri, on Sunday.
Agbagwa, a Catholic Priest, frowned at what he described as the “over concentration of development in the urban areas and said that people could decide to reside in the rural areas if adequate infrastructure such as functional medical facilities, schools, potable water and others were provided.
“The best way to open up a state is to concentrate development on rural areas and government should take a critical look at this because those who reside in rural areas are not less Nigerian than the folks in the developed cities, and therefore deserve a better life too”, he said.
He said that over the past ten years, the CSAAE has contributed to building a better society by empowering young people, women and the vulnerable.
“ What we do is to work on the young people, instill ethical values in them and urge them to extend a same to others, that way the country keeps getting better.
“ We have impacted the lives of students, widows and vulnerable persons while offering scholarships to less students to ease the burden on parents.
“ Our back-to-school pack is one of those programs deployed to offer quality education and provide a brighter future for the students.
“ Only last week, we doled out the sum of N1.2 million to winners of our ethics quiz competition for undergraduates, sponsored by Bet9ja Foundation”, he said.
He added that the Centre also advocates against gender based violence, victimization and intimidation of vulnerable children and widows who are being denied their rights of inheritance, with the help of its over fifteen probono lawyers who offer free legal services.
“We have equipped 8000 youths with employability support, trained 130000 young people on digital skills, offered 7300 students with educational development, provided 8500 youths with training in social justice system among others”.
“In the next ten years, CSAAE will concentrate her energy on rural communities by building standard schools and improving primary healthcare delivery through the provision of smart health centers and smart schools so that the best teachers and doctors can be posted to the rural areas “, he said.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Centre’s Chief Operating Officer, Miss Francisca Okwuonu, described the event as the final lap of the anniversary celebrations, which initially began in the United States, and later took place in Lagos, Nigeria.
Okwuonu expressed joy at the success of the CSAAE’s decade long journey and extended her gratitude to everyone who came to celebrate and identify with the organization.
One of the beneficiaries of the CSAAE’s empowerment program, Mr Russel Chikezie, thanked the organization for their mentorship which enabled him start a mushroom farm “that is currently booming”.
A highlight of the event was the presentation of awards to individuals who have effectively partnered with the Centre in the past decade and contributed to its success story.
