Ilutitun Community Development Project Presentation by; Teni. Faromoju Topic: Vision for Ilutitun Observe Protocols Introduction A few months ago I got the invitation to be part of the newly constituted Ilutitun Development Council. I couldn’t attend the inauguration due to some exigencies and I communicated that to His Royal Highness, the Kabiyesi. Early in October I got a letter from the Secretary of the Council Chief Olusegun Aiyerin that the council decided that I should present a paper on “The Vison For Ilutitun” to be delivered as part of the weeklong celebration of Morubodo Day. Having been involved in a few interventions in the educational development of the community, I felt a sense of duty to share a few thoughts with you. Let me say here that I will be speaking more to the youths of this community. You are the development that we envisioned because the development will be more for you than for the older generation. Hence you are the ones that will ensure the vision comes to fruition. Now, what is vision? Simply put a vision is the future you see for an organization, a community or a nation. At the individual level too, if you don’t have a vision of a life better than where you are today, progress will be far from you. Vision for a community looks at where the community is today and where it would like to be in the nearest or farthest future. The question then is where are we as a community? Where do we want to be in the future? If we see where we aspire to be, the next thing is – how do we get there or what do we need to do to get there? All these questions are what this paper is about. And that is where Community Development as a concept comes in. It will take concerted and intentionally strategic efforts to first see the future then to work assiduously to achieve the future we see as a community. The tool that will take us from seeing the future and achieving that future is community development. Community development Let’s us start by understanding what a community is, then we can navigate to development. A community is a group of people tied together by a common geographical, social, economic, educational and public environment. Communities can also be the product of the choices made by its members over time. Preferably, the people that comprise a community have a shared vision of what a community should be. A community is therefore the dynamic summation of the interrelationship between the people that make up the community, their capacities and the environment where the community exists. There is a key point to note in the definition of community and that is the aspect of the common vision and the desire for self-determination and continuous improvement. Permit me to borrow from the Bible at this juncture, where it says “Without a vision the people perish”. This lays a lot of credence to the need to craft a generally accepted vision for our community to ensure progress and development. There is also the greater need to harness the assets within the community rather than waiting on outsiders or government to bring development to us. Now what is community development? Community development is a process where people come together to take action on what is important to them – the collective vision. At the heart, community development is rooted in the belief that all people in the community should have access to health, wellbeing, wealth, justice and opportunity. Community Development - Is about taking resources to area of need that will bring impact to the greater number of the members of the community, - Ensuring that the weak and vulnerable, the old and young children are being assisted to live meaningful lives - Taking responsibility for communal growth while welcoming contributions and help from others [people outside of the community] The Basic community development program activities are: Physical improvements, such as roads, housing, sanitation, drainage, system and farming etc. Functional activities are health, education, protection, recreation etc. Social activities including group discussions, cooperation, working together, selfreliance etc. I have gone ahead to categorize the above into the following 1. Infrastructure Improvement a. Properly equipped and functioning hospital b. Availability of power, good roads, housing, sanitation, drainage system c. Reconnection to the national power grid 2. Human Capital Development – Education , Training ,Vocational, and Business Development 3. Social Integration – Cultural Reorientation/Documentation of culture and history 4. Mobilization for political and economic enhancement 5. Youth Development and Empowerment Current State – Where we are To paint a picture of where we are as a people could be a difficult task simply because of the way we see and perceive things which may differ from person to person due to our experiences and exposure. So permit me to talk from what I see. Currently, I see a community with an unemployment rate close to 100%. A community without electricity for upward of 10years. I see a community that is underperforming in the educational sector, save for some interventions. There is no functional health center to take care of the health needs of the people. Pipe borne water is nonexistent. Economic activities is another story. A community that once had palms planted all around now having to travel far to get same products at exorbitant prices. I can go on reeling the negatives but that is not to say there are no positives. One of the positives is that we have a youthful population that are eager to be meaningfully engaged in economic activities if given the opportunity with the right infrastructural support. We have women who are ready to work with some assistance. And we have sons and daughters of this community who are holding their own in different aspects of human endeavours and willing to lend a helping hand to ensure a thriving and prosperous Ilutitun Community. So in a nutshell, this is where we are. Now where do we want to be? Or giving the title of this paper, what is the vision I see for our community? Remember this is just to lay the foundation and to instigate us to see more especially as young people in this community. How I Envisioned the Future I envisioned a future based on our collective community strengths and our age long desire to remain a sustainable and viable community since our fore bearers established this community and called it Morubodo. Central to this vision are the values that we must share as a community by working together co-operatively and taking personal and collective responsibility for the well-being of the community, and celebrating the advancement and development of our youths. This is no time to be involved in personal glory or in any activity inimical to development of our beloved Town. To envision a future, there must be a statement of intent. Or a vision statement. The Ilutitun Morubodo Community Vision Statements will ultimately constitute an articulation of the “ideal Ilutitun Town in the year 2030”. This will help us create a picture of the future that Ilutitun indigenes wanted for the Town, and provide another means by which members of the community can have more self-determination toward the development The vision statements are intended to play two roles in the community: 1. To inspire and motivate groups and individuals to take action and organize efforts that will lead to the realization of the community visions. 2. To act as a tool through which groups and individuals in the community can “filter” their decisions. By asking the question “Does this project or initiative fit with what the community wants for itself”, the visions can help with the first step in the community consultation process. They are not intended as a limiting factor or enforcement mechanism for new initiatives, rather as a tool in the on-going work of deciding the wisest directions for Ilutitun Morubodo. Directing resources to areas of greater good and wider impact. The Vision Statement In 2030 Ilutitun is a physically beautiful community where everyone is respected, wellnourished and adequately engaged, where our education systems thrive and healthcare is available for everyone. A caring community that takes pride in the resourcefulness of its youths, the wisdom of the elders and nourishes the economic desires of everyone. Promoting a culture of leaving a better legacy for its children Laying the Foundation for Development To achieve our overall vision, we must state in clear terms what we envision in the following areas that are common to all. These are; Safety. Economics, Environment, and Education as they form the fundamental requirement for development Safety We envision a community that is safe for all inhabitants. Free from all manners of fear and anxiety associated with a growing community. Where everyone is free to go about their lawful engagement without hindrance. A place where trust and mutual respect becomes the core value, where self-preservation is extended to communitypreservation Economics We envisioned a community where everyone is gainfully engaged in economic activities. We will build a viable economy by engaging the strengths within the community such as farming, fishing, vocational activities, and youthful energy and providing other essential services, that helps to create peace by meeting the needs of all our citizens Providing strong support for local agricultural activities which include farming and fishing, palm-oil production and creating value-added agricultural products We envisioned that co-operative societies and community-run ventures are flourishing because the community believes that collective initiatives are the most effective ways to meet the needs of the community, maintain local control and create a healthy economy. In order to survive and be able to live the simple lifestyle we desire. The youths would have developed many effective ways for pooling and sharing resources, talents and energy. We realize that only through mutual effort and respect will we be able to achieve our goals of self-reliance and self-determination. We recognize that a healthy community is what creates a healthy economy and vice versa. Our thriving and diverse economy is comprised of small-scale, locally and communally-owned businesses, services and value-added industries as well as financial services Education We envision Ilutitun as a Centre for learning where education is a life-long pursuit with opportunities for people of all ages to develop their full potential. All Education stakeholders working together to ensure our children achieve excellent outcomes. Students and teachers from the community around the region are welcome to use our educational facilities; laboratories, libraries and other teaching and learning infrastructure. We see a high level of local involvement in all aspects of the educational system. The educational system emphasizes inter-generational mentoring, extensive awareness, developing life skills, creativity and environmental awareness. Older generation and retirees volunteering to teach our children about life and the history of our community. The community values its public and private primary and secondary schools, and works together to ensure their continued viability. Teens and youths are offered a choice of an excellent vocational and postsecondary school education either here in Ilutitun, or anywhere in Nigeria and the world. Adult formal and informal education is also given credence as an umbrella activity for academic, social, and economic development. There are plenty of skill-building and educational opportunities, co-operative and support mechanisms to assist the creation and success of small businesses. Employment opportunities and apprenticeships for youth are widely available. Everyone is able to support themselves doing what they love. Environment We envision a beautiful clean environment that continue to support good health and wellbeing. We must continuously ask ourselves, ‘How do we preserve our environment for future generation? How do we ensure we farm and fish sustainably? We envision a conscious and continuous efforts towards sensitization of the youth and other members of the community about the proper use of our land and water resources to ensure it continue to sustain life and livelihood in the community Strategies for Community Development The key development areas for the community are stated below. The key strategy to get quickly on the road to development is for eminent individuals families and youth groups to take hold of each of these key areas and develop more detailed approach for proper implementation. 1. Infrastructure Improvement a. Properly equipped and functioning hospital b. Availability of power, good roads, housing, sanitation, drainage system c. Reconnection to the national power grid 2. Human Capital Development – Education , Training ,Vocational, and Business Development 3. Social Integration – Cultural Reorientation/Documentation of culture and history 4. Mobilization for political and economic enhancement 5. Youth Development and Empowerment Action Points The Development Council must engage with youths, leadership of the quarters and other community groups to create a template to support and finance the infrastructure necessary for the prosperity and common good of all. We have to create a strategy to improve the capacities of business owners and help create other businesses such that we continue to re-circulate resources and currency within the community and patronize local businesses and services. We also must create a template for a culture of volunteering in our community. Exceptional students should be encouraged to volunteer to teach in schools when on holidays or while waiting for tertiary admission. Retirees in the community should be encouraged to be part of the educational system by teaching the history of the community and offering to guide in the area of career choice especially as the future of work is rapidly changing as we move further into the digital age. We must ensure that youths and other Individuals are supported in their effort to become self-actualized, integrated beings. People are aware of what they need to do to maintain and be responsible for their own good health and they have access to many options for prevention and healing. We must protect and ensure the development of our children by creating plenty of space and opportunity for creative and recreational activities. Facilities for recreation must not be taken over because of increase in population and need for more housing development Part of our strategy as J.T. Faromoju Foundation is to engage with the youths and student by organizing Essay Writing Competitions with good prizes, on their Vision or expectation of a better Ilutitun Morubodo. We will aggregate their views, opinion and dreams into the strategic document that will be produced by Ilutitun Development Council Conclusion The vision for Ilutitun places its hope for the future on the enthusiasm, commitment and involvement of indigenes themselves. Our success is in our working together as individuals, families and neighbours, visitors, local organizations and traditional governing bodies, and taking steps towards the vision and the future we all desire to achieve. Remember, the future of Ilutitun is in your hands….in all our hands. Thank you for your attention.
