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.
Engineer Hammed said 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, especially the rural dwellers.
Engineer Hammed said that the state has been able to stand out 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 communities, villages, towns as well as cities.
He said that the state has maintained its pacesetting standard for its counterparts in terms of rural based road maintenance which according to him, has prompted other states to come to learn rural access roads maintenance skills from the state.
Hammed said that in spite of the fact that the state is blessed with multitude of villages, towns and cities, it has emerged as the best roads connectivity in the country.
“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.
Governor Aregbesola told the visitor that Osun is keen on the project because the state has been wrongly tagged “Civil Service State” which in reality, is a peasant agrarian state.
Governor Aregbesola said that the entire resources of the state even at the best of time, were N4.6 billion at a period when the state received its highest allocation, adding that the last chunk of this statutory allocation amounts to the sum of N3.6 billion, dedicated to payment of civil servants’ salary arrears, gratuity, pensions and other emoluments.
“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.”[myad]
