By Oyo Amebo
There was a time when “development” meant top-down decrees written in government offices. In Oyo State today, it means dialogue and at its centre stands Honourable Abideen Adetokunbo Adeaga, Director-General of the Oyo State Community and Social Development Agency (OYCSDA).
Adeaga’s approach begins with listening. Before a single brick is laid, communities decide what they need most, bridges, boreholes, classrooms, and participate from conception to completion. The agency, once seen as an instrument of government, has become a partner of the people.
This participatory model has produced tangible results: over 250 community projects since 2022, benefitting more than 350,000 residents.
But its deeper achievement is rebuilding trust. When mothers no longer trek for water and children learn under safe roofs, governance begins to feel human again.
The agency’s work extends beyond infrastructure. Through psychosocial support and livelihood training, it gives dignity to widows, orphans, and people with disabilities.
Women and youth now sit at decision-making tables, helping design and monitor the very projects that shape their futures.
Adeaga’s leadership style mirrors this ethos, present, humble, and field-focused. He walks through villages, talks to teachers, inspects wells, and listens to feedback firsthand.
Even in the face of inflation and rising costs, innovation sustains progress: local sourcing of materials, community-led maintenance, and shared ownership keep projects alive.
In Oyo’s evolving story, OYCSDA stands as proof that development imposed is fragile, but development shared endures. Adeaga’s philosophy is simple — when people are trusted to build, they build trust in return.
