Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the release of N255 million to execute the Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) to assist farmers in transporting farm produce to urban centres.
Osun State Deputy Governor,Otunba Grace Titilayo-Laoye Tomori Aregbesola who represented Aregbesola at an interactive session held at the Executive Council Chambers, Bola Ige House, Osogbo, commended RAMP for completing 12 kilometer road leading to Pataara farm settlement using the state government parallel fund.
According to her, the government was elated with the efforts of the Development Partners for approving the state's participation in FADAMA III project.
The Deputy Governor stated further that the Aregbesola administration values the World Bank Team led by Mr. Nicholas Peltier Thiberge that we appreciate your contributions in the partnership with our Government most especially in the rural access and mobility programme (RAMP)?.
Otunba Laoye-Tomori said "Let me say without any equivocation that the State Government is elated with the efforts of the Development Partners for approving our participation in FADAMA III project. The performance of the project is worthwhile as you could see from the field visit to Akinleye, one stop shop at Adana, Fadama market at Ologunebi, the road linking Iwo-Patara farm settlement, Patara, Agoro, Ikonifin ,Ajagose,Asa and Gbojosi".
She explained that the task of rural development is one of the major cardinal agenda of the Aregbesola administration adding that all efforts must be on deck to achieve this.
After thorough examination, observation and discussion with different stakeholders, the state decided to participate in the project so as to facilitate rural development as a cardinal programme of the new administration.
She recalled that within the first one month of coming into office, Governor Aregbesola decided to achieve the objective by writing a Letter of Commitment to the World Bank, The Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Project Management Unit to express interest of Osun State in participating in the project.
Thos happened, according to her, after the administration had secured the consent of the State House of Assembly assuring that the Aregbesola administration was appreciative of the partnership with the World Bank.
Realising the importance of rural development through road network, the Deputy Governor explained that the state government viewed RAMP as a fulcrum upon which the government could achieve one of its six-point agenda.
To this end, RAMP is given onerous task of road improvement under Osun State Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme (O-REAP). The objective of this programme is to make Osun State the food basket of the country and this could only be achieved through rural accessibility which Rural Access and Mobility Project represent. It is not an overstatement to state that presently RAMP is one of the World Bank assisted project that is in the good book of the State Government, she submitted.
She then restated the commitment of the government to collaborate with Development Partners for the development of rural areas assuring that no efforts would be spared to achieve the best.
Her words: "Let me add that the importance of the project to the State is paramount in the mind of the State Governor as demonstrated in the approval for the release of Two hundred and fifty-five million Naira which is more than all the previous releases put together".
Speaking earlier, Mr. Nicholas Peltier Thiberge announced that Osun State had been approved as one out of the four states in Nigeria to benefit from the $195 million dollars being provided by the World Bank to tackle the challenges of infrastructure.
Thiberge counseled that the state government should adopt the strategy of sing communities living aside the roads to be involved with the maintenance of roads.
He advised that the drainages should be properly catered for so that water would not gather in pool to destroy the strength of roads after the have been rehabilitated.
This, he stressed, would generate employment for rural dwellers as well as guarantee the durability of the roads.
He cited the success attained in Peru as a model of what the Osun State Government could do to make the roads last longer while being put to use.
Dr. Charles Akinola, the Team Leader of the government?s team on Agriculture later briefed the World Bank Team and explained how the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programme was designed to do.
He also explained that the government had already secured the services of Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), another agency of the state to use volunteers under it to maintain the roads in their areas. At the time of filling this report, the technical session was underway.
Posted By: 'Bola Adeyileka
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