CROSS RIVER – CALABAR – The Cross River Agricultural Development Program (CRADP) in Calabar expressed surprise and gratitude after volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cleaned the institution’s premises as part of their 2025 All Africa Service Project (AASP) held during weekend.
Director of Rural Institutional Development (RID) Chief Bernard Agom, who represented CRADP Manager, Mr. Emorgor Bassey, said the gesture was unprecedented in his years of service at the institution.
“When I received the church’s letter, I was shocked,” Agom said. “I was happy. I lacked words because I have never seen this before in a government organization.”
Volunteers clearing overgrown weeds around the compound during the clean-up exercise.
Agom, who said for nearly three years such work has been carried out at CRADP, described the effort as “a miracle,” adding that teaching children through example remains one of the greatest assets a parent could offer.
The CRADP management issued a statement thanking the church for the cleanup exercise, describing the volunteers’ action as a “wonderful work well done.”
“Management is grateful to you,” the statement read. “We look forward to partnering with you on agricultural activities across different value chains.”
Agom further said the partnership opportunity highlights the role of civic groups in complementing government’s effort to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
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President of Calabar Nigeria Etta-Agbor Stake, Goodwin Oyigoja Oboh, commended CRADP management for approving the request, stressing the importance of collective responsibility in sustaining public institutions.
“We are contributing our quota to promote a clean environment,” Oboh said, noting that environmental sanitation aligns with the church’s community service commitments.
Also speaking, Bishop Joseph Effiom of Atimbo Ward, who also serves as stake self-reliance specialist, said the church was eager to extend the collaboration into agricultural programs.
“We would like to partner the institution in agriculture,” Effiom stated. “We call on youths, especially students, to embrace agricultural projects that can build skills and create opportunities.”
Effiom emphasized that agriculture remained a vital sector for Nigeria’s economic development, adding that engaging young people in farming would help tackle unemployment and food insecurity.
The cleanup exercise, carried out on CRADP’s compound in Calabar, marked a rare instance of a religious organization directly volunteering environmental services to a government agency.
Stakeholders at the event said the gesture demonstrated how faith-based organizations could work with public institutions to address social challenges while fostering community development.