The management of World Bank has rated the State of Osun
as the best among its peers in the implementation,
management and maintenance of Rural Access and Mobility
Projects (RAMP) being financed by the institution across
the states of the federation.
The global financial institution gave this commendation
through its team led by Engineer Olatunji Hammed during a
second phase project presentation to the state Governor,
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
Addressing the gathering, Engr Hammed disclosed that
Osun State has put up an exemplary performance in the
quality of its unprecedented developmental projects that
centred on the lives of the generality of its populace most
especially the rural dwellers.
Engineer Hammed said Osun has been able to maintain its
status as the first state that has successfully maintained it
roads to enhance productivity and as well as improve the
economy of the state through accessible and motor able
roads, linking community to community, village to village,
town to town as well as city to city.
He said Osun State has always been number one as it
remains the pacesetter for its counterparts in terms of rural
based road maintenance which according to him, has
prompted other states to come to Osun in order to learn
rural access roads maintenance skills.
Hammed revealed that in spite of the fact that the state is
blessed with multitude of villages, towns and cities, the
state has the best roads connectivity in the country.
According to him, “Rural Access and Mobility Project has
helped significantly in harnessing and exploring the
agricultural potentiality of the rural dwellers in the area of
transportation of farm produce to urban cities as roads
rural/urban roads are being aggressively linked and
exposed for easier accessibility.
“There is no doubt about the fact that many states in the
country are jealous of Osun in terms of its rapid
developmental projects which aims at improving the general
well being of its populace as the state ever remained the
best in implementation, management and maintenance of
community based roads across the length and breadth of
the state.
“This wouldn’t have been impossible if not for the support
of Governor Aregbesola towards the Rural Access and
Mobility Project which has impacted meaningfully in the
teeming lives of the citizenry.
Engineer Hammed said the institution’s findings on the
phase1 of the Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP1)
and general roads construction in the state have shown the
accelerated improvement in the general lives of the citizenry
most importantly that of the rural dwellers as it has
contributed meaningfully and productively in the agricultural
activities.
Having assessed the state in terms of socio-infrastructural,
political and economic developments, Engineer Hammed
disclosed that the roads network in the state have the best
linkage which according to him could always stand the test
of time.
He extolled Governor Aregbesola’s commitment and
dedication towards the well being of his people, saying he
has proven himself and distinguished his administration’s
uniqueness in his quest for quality and standard
construction materials which has resorted to long-last and
durable roads being constructed in the state since his
administration.
He described Governor Aregbesola as an ardent lover of
good governance and political stability, adding that his
roles in bringing the dividends of democracy to the door
steps of his people could not be forgotten.
He described the RAMP programme as the only alternative
mechanism and instrument which government at all levels
need for the successful realization of economic
diversification as the country is planning to shift face and
attention from being over-reliant on crude oil production to
full agricultural production.
He however advocated for unwavering support and
collaboration with the current government in the country
and Osun State in particular in taking the state and nation
to the lofty high of prosperous future.
He stressed that the state compassion on the well being
and development of rural dwellers had yielded positive
results as new life of economic transformation and
development has been brought to those communities.
In his address, the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola, said Osun was the first state to involve the
communities in the adoption and management of the roads
across the state since the commencement of his
administration.
Governor Aregbesola said the project (RAMP) is popular to
the people in the state and that consciousness is linked to
the need of providing the best his government could in
terms of quality facilities and materials for roads
construction.
He said his government having identified the needs of its
rural dwellers, embarked on the massive roads network
across the nooks and crannies of the state in order to break
the wide gap between the people at the remote areas and
urban residents.
Governor Aregbesola stated that Osun, having been rated
best in the implementation of the RAMP project, has no
reason to strive further in the actualisation of its
comprehensive development agenda.
He pledged that the state under his watch will do
everything possible to look for money to make up her
counterpart fund for the phase2 of the Rural Access and
Mobility Project (RAMP 11) that is set to commence.
Governor Aregbesola stressed that Osun was keen in the
project simply because the state has been wrongly tagged
“Civil Service State” which in reality, according to him, is a
peasant agrarian state.
Why justifying his position, Governor Aregbesola said as a
matter of fact the entire resources of the state even at the
best of time was N4.6billion which was a period when the
state received its highest allocation, saying the last chunk
of this statutory allocation amounts to the sum of
N3.6billion which was dedicated to payment of civil
servants’ salary arrears, gratuity, pensions and other
emoluments.
He explained further that the state with the population of
4.5million that received its highest allocation of N4.6billion
means that as at then, it had to service the population of
4.5million, which by calculation means that each citizen
would receive N1000. He said what a citizen gets cannot
even cater for a day old baby for one month.
He noted that a sincere assessment of the state allocation
resources and resources from Internally Generated Revenue
(IGR) show that the state lives on agricultural values.
Governor Aregbesola said the state exists on the sweats
and labour of those unsung men and women in rural areas
who are struggling and labouring every day to improve the
agricultural commodities that are painfully brought to the
market.
He lamented over the dwindling allocation to the state,
saying since June, 2013, the financial activities of the state
had been hugely damaged due to what he described as
unjust reduction.
Governor Aregbesola buttressed his point by disclosing that
the state got for its September allocation, a paltry sum of
N1.8billion. He said such revenue cannot be the basis for
the economy of Osun.
According to him, “We engaged in Rural Access Mobility
Project (RAMP) because we know that it is through this
provision that we can support the economy of this state by
meeting the core needs of rural dwellers, access and
support the evacuation of their farm produce to the markets.
“It is because of our genuine commitment to energize the
rural dwellers in their onerous duty of producing
agricultural commodity that we are passionate and
aggressively committed to RAMP.
“Though financially, we are highly constrained but even in
spite of that constraint, we are committed to RAMP and I
pledge that we will quickly mobilize our counterpart fund to
usher in the commencement of the RAMP2.
Governor Aregbesola said the project implementation
support programme on Rural Access Mobility Project has
gone a long way at ameliorating and transforming the lives
of the marginalized, dejected and abandoned people at rural
areas.
He expressed gratitude to the management of World Bank
for coming up with what he described as people
development programme.
He said, “Without any sense of doubt, implementation of
approximately 225killometers of rural roads currently being
rehabilitated and constructed across the length and breadth
of Osun have started yielding fruitful results going by the
information reaching me and my visit to all the rural areas
and project sites across the state.
“Farm produce as well as human and vehicular movement
have improved considerably as farmers can easily evacuate
farm produce without stress and this has increased our
economy and social activities as developmental projects
had speedily sprung up.
“Demand for land acquisition for developmental projects
has been on increase and to say the least, it has improved
our people livelihood.
“We are the government that holds our people well being
and development in high esteem as we are committed to
the successful implementation of project and its
sustainability.
“It is not an overstatement to say that Osun is leading other
participating states and we will continue to lead because
we will not rest on our oars in ensuring that all necessary
conditions needed for the successful implementation of this
project are met. osun.gov.ng/2015/11/13/osun-remains-best-implementation-maintenance-rural-access-mobility-project-world-bank/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=osun-remains-best-implementation-maintenance-rural-access-mobility-project-world-bank