Rural Roads Development: 9 federal constituencies Benefit In Ogun State

In Ogun State 9 Constituents benefits from the Provided graders as part of moves to develop rural communities and discourage rural-urban drift in the state.

The beneficiaries include the Abeokuta North, Abeokuta South, Ado-Odo/Ota, Egbado South, Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu North-East, Remo North and Imeko Afon Egbado North constituencies.

The deputy governor, according to a statement by the ministry’s Press Officer, Mrs Mistura Oshileye, disclosed that despite the dwindling economic fortune of the country, the Ogun State government had spent enormous funds to procure the graders because of what she said was its commitment to the development of the rural areas.

The state deputy governor, Chief (Mrs.) Yetunde Onanuga, who also oversees the activities of the Ministry of Rural Development, said the programme would reduce the dangers faced by rural dwellers while travelling on bad roads.

We are all aware of the fact that 80 percent of agricultural products in the country comes from the rural areas and the hinterland, and that half of this agricultural produce get damaged before getting to the markets due to a number of reasons, among which is the lack of good road networks to link the rural areas to consumers and markets in the urban areas”, she said.

Chief Onanuga added that the growth of the rural communities would not only increase the supply of farm produce to the markets, it would also improve the social welfare of rural dwellers, as well as kerb rural-urban drift among youths.

She, therefore, enjoined the beneficiaries to properly manage the equipment to enhance their sustainability, adding that community leaders should ensure they put in place monitoring schemes to enable qualitative roads that would meet what she described as the “Ogun standard”.

In his welcome address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development, Mr Wale Ogunyomade, said the development of the rural areas would alleviate poverty among rural dwellers as youths would be encouraged to participate in agricultural activities in their communities.

In his address, the Speaker, State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi, charged local government chairmen in the state to make judicious use of the equipment, adding that all local governments should cooperate with one another towards sustaining the growth of the rural communities.

In their goodwill messages, the chairmen of Obafemi-Owode Local Government and Ado Odo Local Council Development Area, Asalulo and Segun Idowu respectively, appreciated the effort of the governor on fulfilling his electoral promise to develop the rural areas of the state, adding that the gesture would not only make life easier for the people of the rural communities, it would also make the job of the local government chairmen easier.