By Wole Balogun
(S.A Media to VC)
Two graduates of the prestigious Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Ojo Isaac Sanmi (Demography and Social Statistics) and Irewolede Ibukun (Economics) have made the university proud during their compulsory one year youth service in Osun State, as they sank a borehole worth N1.3 million for residents of Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State.
Another former FUOYE student who also contributed immensely to the success of the project is Femi Esan, a graduate of the department of Mass Communication. Although Femi had his youth service in Abuja, he assisted the team with drafting of proposals, sponsorship letters, among others.
Both Isaac and Femi served in the capacities of the Vice-president and General Secretary in the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti Students’ Union Government(FUOYE-SUG) respectively during the 2019/2020 academic session, while Ibukun also served as the Speaker of the Faculty of Social Sciences within the same academic year.
The corps members of the Batch C, Stream 2 (2021) completed their NYSC programme November 2022.
In a media chat with the project team leader, Ojo Isaac Sanmi, with the State Code number OS/21C/5636, he said the decision to drill a borehole in the community was made as a result of the town’s residents’ desperate need for access to clean and potable water.
“My first week in Ede wasn’t comfortable. We do, of course, have power supply, but potable water is really where we fall short. The only source of water in this environment is a well, which is unfit for human consumption. Clean water and sanitation is a primary component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as such, needs to be prioritized because water is life. Well, after reaching out to my colleagues who showed interest in the project, this piqued my interest in starting it”, he said.
Isaac, who revealed that the project nearly suffered neglect at some points due to
Financial constraints, lauded the effort of the sponsors of the project and the community for cooperating with him and his team to carry out the project, noting that “without their contributions and cooperation, the project would not have been carried out.”
He also applauded the management of the university, under the leadership of Prof. Sunday Abayomi Fasina for instilling discipline and morals in students, saying: “While we were serving in the Union, Prof. Fasina taught us how to take responsibility and be good ambassadors everywhere we find ourselves. This, however constitute the foundation of the success we are celebrating today.”
Speaking at the project commissioning which was graced by the Osun State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Abdulwahaab Olayinka alongside other prominent dignitaries, the Timi of Ede land, Oba Muniru Adesola, who was represented by the Chief in Council, led by Chief Agbaakin AGBAAKIN, lauded the corps members for their spirit of sportsmanship and sincere service to their fatherland.
According to him, the community will forever be grateful to them for the project, which he described as timely.
