Idongesit Ashameri - Uyo
Akwa Ibom State government said it was ready to develop a master-plan to recreate the villages and open up townships in rural communities in the state, to improve living standards and check rural-urban migration.
Further essence of this is to unlock opportunities in rural communities and make the villages attractive to both government and investors, for further development and to make villages interesting to the rural dwellers.
Addressing journalists in his office over the weekend, the state Commissioner for Rural Development, Ekong Sampson said his ministry was out to accelerate the idea of rural development and drive government programmes to the villages.
Sampson who was the immediate past member representing Mkpat Enin state constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly said he had worked closely with the Ministry of Rural Development as a lawmaker and had conceived the idea of the development master plan. He said that the implementation would be easy for him as he was on a familiar terrain.
The commissioner advised rural dwellers to look beyond transformation and focus on the template he intended to create for infrastructure in all the villages across the state. He added that an integrated approach would be adopted to realise the master-plan.
Apart from making life worth-living in rural communities across the state, Sampson also said the aggressive approach to rural development was also intended to take care of rural security, as his ministry intended to put in place framework to secure rural communities in the state.
A youth leader in Ikot Obio Akai village in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, Comrade Monday Anthony described the plan of the Ministry of Rural Development as welcome development, adding that it would check rural-urban migration.
He advised the state government to ensure that basic social amenities such as power, water supply, good road network and market stores are first put in place in the rural communities.
He said, “Much as I have no doubt that every village in this state can become a township and gain access to urban lifestyles and opportunities, I want to advice the government to first of all take care of those minor necessary things we have no access to.
“Let every village have at least, a functional transformer, then every local barber, welder, hairdresser and others would not need to travel to the city to have light.
“While some villages have power supply, very many others have wires and poles without power in them. Some rural roads have completely disconnected villagers from neighbours, with good roads, market would move.
“Establishing palm oil mill in a village like mine would make much sense, so in developing our rural communities, care must be taken to avoid white elephant projects that may not be useful to the rural populace.” he advised.
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