The Lagos State Government says it is mobilising over 50,000 members for this year’s Community Day celebration.

The grand finale of the event scheduled for the Ikeja Police College, Lagos is expected to play host community leaders, market men and women and CDA members in a bit to celebrate the achievement of CDAs at the grassroots in line with the United Nations agenda to develop the grassroots.
Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami at a press conference at the Lagos Government Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Thursday said government is putting machinery in motion to mobilise over 50,000 grassroots people for the Community Day celebration.
He said the 3,240 CDAs in the state had been encouraged and mobilised to bring their members to the grand finale of the event which would hold on 12 November, 2015.
On the theme of the Community Day, which is “Community Development: Tool for Sustainable Development,” Folami said the theme was carefully chosen to tally with the State Community Based Development.
“All hands must be on deck to sustain development effort in our communities for the future generation,” he said.
The commissioner disclosed that his ministry had set up various committees that would carry out different assignments to ensure hitch-free celebration, adding that the Assignment Committee received 247 self-help projects and had already gone round all CDAs in the state to assess various self-help projects executed in their respective communities.
He disclosed that 15 projects had been selected as the best CDAs interventions for support by the state, as they would be awarded prizes and cash for the efforts.
“The criteria for award of cash and material prizes to deserving communities include the cost of the project, number of beneficiaries and users as well as sustainable elements,” he said.
Folami said that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode will be the special guest of honour at the grand finale of the event where he is expected to present the star prizes to the best CDAs and give grant-in-aid to deserving CDAs for developmental purposes.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Community and Communication, Kehinde Bamigbetan said adequate security had been put in place to ensure a hitch-free event, saying that the fact that the event was holding at the police college had further complemented the security efforts of government.
He added that officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA had been mobilised to prevent traffic gridlock in the area.
However, events line up for the Community Day celebration include Jumat prayer at the Secretariat Mosque on tomorrow (Friday), health walk/talk on Saturday, visitation to Charity Homes on 10 November; Community Parade/grand finale at the Police College and thanksgiving service at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa on 15 November.

pmnews