THE recent signing of the upgrading of 46.6 kilometres and spot improvement of 74.76 kilometres rural roads with nine indigenous construction companies by the Ondo State Government is another fillip to the ongoing radical infrastructure transformation and sustainable socio-economic development efforts of the state.

COMING  on the heels of the reportage, in the last Quarter of last year, of the 700 kilometres of rural roads across the three senatorial districts under the Rural Access and Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank-assisted programme in the state. This initiative is a welcome complement to the massive infrastructure development efforts of government in the State. It is also proof that Ondo State is indeed set to emerge as the hub of socio-economic transformation in the southwest.

THE newly-signed project, which covers four lots spot improvement and five lots of rural road upgrading, totaling 121.36km, will be executed at the cost of N7, 489,469,853.20. The intervention cuts across nine local government areas in the state and is being undertaken in partnership with the International Development Agency (World Bank), French Development Agency (AFD) and the Federal Government. To show its commitment to improving the rural roads and by extension, the socio-economic development of the state, the state government has contributed its counterpart fund of N3.47b for the execution of the project, just as it has also paid its own part of the cost of the 700km rural road project.

THE new N7.4b rural road project is a welcome relief to the rural dwellers and farmers who constitute a greater portion of the population of the State and have had to face sore challenges in their farming activities. This unique intervention, when completed, will not only assist the farmers in moving their farm products to the markets but will also hugely contribute to finding the lasting solution to the perennial food shortages in the country that have been partly attributed to wastages due to the inability of farmers to promptly convey farm produce to the markets. Also, it will bring improved development to the rural areas that have been neglected in the past, while also redressing the development imbalance between the towns and the rural areas.

THE citizens who are beneficiaries of these projects must own them and reciprocate the good gestures of the government by supporting the project and government to solve the food crisis and other problems ravaging the state by returning to the farms to produce more foods for the state and the country. They must ensure that the contractors are not harassed by the youths, area boys and the dreaded land grabbers popularly known as “OmoOnile” to ensure prompt completion of the projects.

THE  decision of the government to involve local contractors in the projects is also commendable. Apart from affording them to prove their mettle, it will also provide jobs for our youths. Contractors must therefore justify the trust reposed in them by discharging their jobs according to specification and to ensure the success of the project and to secure the confidence of the government for future patronage. They must prove their worth and demonstrate that they are capable of delivering quality projects like their foreign counterparts.

THE success of this project is in its implementation. Government must therefore thoroughly monitor and supervise the contractors to ensure they deliver on time and according to specifications. The state government should follow the terms of the contract and release funds as and when due. In addition, the government should build on this positive action to establish farm settlements to encourage many urban dwellers to return to settle in the rural areas to work. The government should not relent in her efforts to improve the rural areas by extending other basic infrastructural facilities that make for good living to the rural areas. Besides, the state government must continue to source for funds to bring in local government areas that are not included in the present projects to further deliver equitable transformation of the rural areas.

IN all projects requiring counterpart funding—sole as in the case of the N7.4b rural roads or multiple as in the 700km roads funding that involves 20 states—transparency, accountability and quality project execution are required. Undoubtedly, access to a huge chunk of the funds will be contingent on the seriousness of the competing states, including their ability to promptly pay their counterpart funding and the integrity of the executed projects. There is therefore a need for the Ondo State Government to continue to put its best foot forward in the administration of these projects to attract competitive advantage for massive rehabilitation and construction of our rural roads.

THE  socio-economic strength of Ondo State lies in the transformation of the rural areas where a huge population of the state resides and where the solutions to food insecurity lie. Care for them is care for all of us. Let us continue to give them the desired attention in our collective interest.