AS GENERAL TONY UKPO (Rtd) MEETS WITH CROSS RIVER NORTH STAKEHOLDERS TODAY IN OGOJA. See Photos

By Ogar Solomon

According to Wikipedia, the United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members, elders and stakeholders come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems. It is a broad term given to the practices of civic leaders, political leaders,  activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of communities, typically aiming to build stronger and more resilient local communities.

Community development is also understood as a professional discipline, and is defined by the global network of community development practitioners and scholars, as "a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes participative democracy, sustainable development, rights, economic opportunity, equality and social justice, through the organisation, education and empowerment of people within their communities, whether these be of locality, identity or interest, in urban and rural settings".

Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people with the skills they need to effect change within their communities. These skills are often created through the formation of social groups working for a common agenda. Community developers must understand both how to work with individuals and how to affect communities' positions within the context of larger social institutions.

As the stakeholders meet, it is pertinent and imperative for critical issues bordering on leadership and representation which has been the bane of development in Cross River North to be given priority attention. It is my appeal that the stakeholders should equally address cogent issues of unemployment, youths empowerment, rural roads maintenance, agriculture, entrepreneurial development and above all give the good people of Cross River North proactive political direction ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Thank you General Tony Ikaba Ukpo (Rtd) for convening the August meeting. I wish you all a fruitful and happy deliberation.

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