9th August, 2011
The Lagos State Government has urged rural communities in the state to prioritise their needs and come up with a major request that will make life easy for them and stem rural-urban drift.
Making the request over the weekend was the Commissioner for Rural Development, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, during his assessment tour of the ministry’s projects in Olorunda Local Council Development, LCDA, and Badagry Environment, Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
Ojelabi said he embarked on the tour to have a first-hand information on the basic needs of the people. He solicited the support of the rural populace in the maintenance of government properties in their domain.
The commissioner urged them to always protect and maintain government’s properties, especially now that it was they that would determine government’s project that would be sited in their domain.
Addressing the community members at Iyesi-Gamayi in Olorunda LCDA where he inspected the ministry’s rural electrification project which is 85 percent completed, he said the state government is ready to partner with the rural populace by providing basic needs like potable water, electricity and roads in order to reduce unemployment and poverty.
He urged them to identify what could be done in the area of Agriculture for the youths so as to get them employed.
Inspecting the road under construction by Ilogbo-eremi also in Olorunda LCDA in which the community is seeking government’s assistance, the commissioner promised to find a temporary solution to a very bad spot on the road while promising that the government would try to incorporate the rehabilitation of the road in next year’s budget.
Ojelabi was also at Araromi Ale Micro-water Scheme where the officer in charge informed him that the scheme was producing below capacity due to erratic power supply and outrageous bills by Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria, PHCN.
The projects visited by the commissioner include Ilogbo-Eremi Micro-water Scheme, rural electrification project at Oke-Ogbe in Olorunda, solar powered modified type A Water Scheme at Sango-Seje and the newly constructed Ajara Agamathen Town Hall.
Others are the Fisheries Pilot Training Centre, Marina, Badagry; fishery scheme at Pashi, Pashi Rural Jetty, the newly constructed VIP toilet to be commissioned soon at Akoko in Badagry and Soko Cassava processing Scheme which the commissioner promised to improve upon for the benefit of women in the area.
Also on the tour were the Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe; Permanent Secretary, Engr. Babatunde Oshodi and management team of the Ministry of Rural Development, key officers in Badagry LGA, Badagry West LCDA and Olorunda LCDA.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga