Students of the Higher National Diploma (HND II) in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, have demonstrated the practical application of development communication by executing impactful community-based projects across several communities in Kwara State.
The initiative, carried out under the Development Communication course, enabled the students to identify pressing community challenges, implement advocacy campaigns, and engage relevant government agencies in addressing the needs of rural residents.
The fieldwork covered communities across Ilorin East, Moro and Ilorin South Local Government Areas, where students combined research with practical interventions aimed at promoting sustainable development and social change.
In Sango Community, Ilorin South, the students organized an importance of education campaigns and distributed writing materials to pupils in public schools to encourage learning.
Students deployed to the Agbede Community in Ilorin East repaired an old abandoned damaged hand pump borehole which is now functioning and supplying water to the community.
At Yakuba Community, the students appealed to the Ministry of Education for the rehabilitation and roofing of a dilapidated public school building.
In Ganiki Community, the intervention focused on promoting education and environmental cleanliness, while the students donated a solar-powered streetlight to improve security and surveillance to Akuo Community in Moro Local Government.
Students assigned to Elekoyangan Community, Ilorin East host an education awareness program and extend scholarship supports to indigents pupils at Eleko Community LGEA School.
Oke Ose Community, Oyun, and Tepatan Community benefited from the donation of desks, chairs and other educational materials to improve teaching and learning conditions in public schools, while students working in Oyun Community submitted a request to the Ministry of Works for the reconstruction of damaged roads.
Similarly, students in Lajolo Community appealed to the Ministry of Education for the provision of educational resources to enhance learning among pupils.
They also submitted advocacy letters to the Ministry of Environment requesting the provision of an incinerator, while drawing the attention of the Ministry of Water Resources to the community’s water shortage.
Speaking on the initiative, the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Engr. Dr. Abdul Jimoh Muhammed, commended the students and the course lecturer, Mr. Olufadi Balarabe Ayuba, for translating classroom knowledge into practical solutions that positively impact society.
He described the outreach as a reflection of the true essence of development communication and noted that it complements the developmental agenda of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration.
Also commending the project, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Students’ Affairs, Hon. Salami Wasiu Onidugbe, described the exercise as a model of community engagement, noting that the students successfully bridged the communication gap between government institutions and underserved communities.
According to him, the initiative is a very loudable one for students to have thought of this on such developments project, “we have to commend them. I want to appreciate them on behalf of the state government and I want to encourage them to continue to do more.
“Community project is what I believe that everybody should always have impact on irrespective of the community which is just like student supporting the government that the government can’t do all alone that we can also do little things to support the government. I commend their effort and also advice them to always continue to walk on that same path even after school to always show that people of their community.”
The Co-Lecturer, Mallam Sulyman Abdulkadir, expressed satisfaction with the students’ performance during the presentation of their field reports. He praised Mr. Olufadi Balarabe Ayuba, for his commitment to practical learning and appreciated the support of the institution’s management led by the Rector.
Also Speaking, Mass Communication Exam Officer, Mr. Bako Muhammed said the projects and interventions carried out across the various communities illustrate the role of journalism and media studies students as agents of social transformation, adding that the initiative remains a shining example of how academic learning can produce meaningful impact within society.
