Ibru varsity takes environmental sanitation to Agbarha-Otor

The Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU), Agbarha-Otor, Delta State, at the weekend warmed the hearts of its host community when staff and students of the institution embarked on environmental sanitation to keep Agbarha-Otor clean.

The MCIU team divided themselves into groups and went into different parts of the community cleaning gutters, sweeping roads, moving refuse and collecting trash from all corners of the community.

The king’s palace, Agbarha-Otor town hall, and the church environment were also not spared by the MCIU sanitation volunteers as members of the community watched with delight and applauded their efforts.

The Otota Ru’ovie (spokesman) of Agbarha-Otor community, Dr. Fred Akpobome, said the exercise by the university was a novelty in the kingdom and showed the university was ready to join hands with community to develop Agbarha-Otor.

He said: “It is a rare development and I am elated. These were things we were doing in the past in the community but along the way it stopped. So, if the university comes up to clean up the community, it is a good thing. They are shinning the light for others to follow.”
 
The cofounder of MCIU, Dr. Cecilia Ibru, said the university embarked on the exercise because they are part of the community and needed to play a role as member of the community.

She explained that the university had been involved in community service since inception and that medical and food outreaches had been extended in the past to the host community. She noted that the environmental sanitation was a new addition to services, which the university offered the community.

“There are a lot of things we can do in a community where we are located. Today, we are doing community cleaning. We have done medical outreach to the community; we also give 450 meals to members of the community every Friday till date. People thought we would stop midway but we have remained committed.”

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyinka Fuwape, who spoke with The Guardian while monitoring the exercise, said beside teaching and research another of the university’s mandate was to do community service. She said everyone on campus came out to clean the community as a way to saying thank you and to demonstrate that we are concerned about the community’s development.