Obinna Gabriel, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Ayegbami community, Ilorin, Kwara State, has narrated how he ensured general sanitation in the community.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Gabriel stated that open spaces in the community were used as dump sites and at least one resident got treated for malaria each day. As his second NYSC project, he proceeded to clean the community.

“Ayegbami was also in a serious environmental mess,” he wrote. “Almost all open spaces were used as dump sites. My findings showed that out of the over 3,500 residents with about 750 households, at least one person was treated for malaria each day.”

The project combined a sensitisation exercise and a waste evacuation exercise. Having raised money from the community, he embarked on the project with support from different organisations, schools, his Community Development Service (CDS) group and youths in the community.

“I titled it ‘CleanUpAyegbami’, and split it into two parts: a sensitization exercise (medical outreach inclusive), and subsequent waste evacuation. I needed N121,000 with other resources. The community raised N20,000, then I wrote to organizations seeking their support,” said Gabriel.

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“I also engaged four schools and my CDS group (Culture and Tourism), who showed up for the sensitization exercise. Ayegbami Progressive Youths took the project as theirs, they stood by me, showed up whenever needed and handled all logistics.

“The last day of sensitization was for medical outreach. The goal wasn’t only to create a proper system of disposing household waste but also to curb the high prevalence of malaria in the community. Tests were conducted and drugs were administered where necessary.

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“What followed was waste evacuation which has metamorphosed into a monthly exercise. Today in Ayegbami, a waste truck which I contracted through Axel Gislam Environmental Services now comes last Saturday of every month to evacuate waste. Ayegbami is now better than I met it.”

FIJ earlier reported how Gabriel ensured the reconstruction of the community’s link road, which had claimed the lives of two children. He engaged relevant authorities and got the attention of the constituency’s federal lawmaker. Subsequently, the reconstruction of the road was included in the community’s budget and was completed in March.