Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has reiterated the commitment of his administration to making life more meaningful for the rural dwellers irrespective of political, religious or ethnic inclinations.
The Governor made the commitment at the flag-off of Alapa-Arobadi pilot road held at Alapa in Asa Local Government Area of the State.
Governor AbdulRazaq, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Kayode Alabi noted that the construction of 700 kilometres of rural roads across the 16 Council areas under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), will go a long way in assisting the state to grow economically.
According to him, the present administration under the RAAMP project will upgrade 125 kilometres of roads to asphalt, carry out spot improvement on 450 kilometres of roads and routine maintenance on another 700 kilometres.
The State Government, which had earlier paid 400 Million Naira counterpart funding for RAAMP Project, will also carry out backlog maintenance on 200 kilometres of roads and fixed five river crossings while some existing markets will be upgraded to hubs.
Mall. AbdulRazaq explained further that all the projects valued at a cost of 60 Million US dollars, are to be executed in partnership with the World Bank and other International Donor Agencies across the 16 Local Government Areas in phases.
In his goodwill message, the National Coordinator of RAAMP, Engr. Aminu Muhammad commended the governor for paying the counterpart funds and assured of his support for the project.
Also speaking, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Engr. Salihu Yakubu-Danladi described the initiative as laudable as it would open up the rural areas and improve socio-economic activities in the hinterlands.
He solicited support from RAAMP for Governor AbdulRazaq in opening up the rural roads, assuring that the legislative arm will continue to support the state government in this regard.
Earlier, the State Coordinator of RAAMP, Engr. Abdulwahab Akorede had explained that the 5.2 km. Alapa-Arobadi road would improve rural access and reduce post-harvest losses, pointing out that Kwara State is the first among the 13 participating states in Nigeria to commence the 6-7 years programme with expected credit of $60m for each state.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works,TPL Oloruko-Oba Isiaq Yinka who is also the Chairman, RAAMP State Project Management Committee (SPMC), expressed appreciation to relevant stakeholders for their contributions in making the event a huge success.
