Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
Governor Kayode Fayemi has commenced the construction of 1000 kilometres roads across 16 local government areas of Ekiti State.
Fayemi said the programme would be undertaken through a World Bank co-sponsored project targeted at transforming the rural economy and of which Ekiti had been listed as a beneficiary.
Speaking with newsmen in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Fayemi, represented by the Project Coordinator of Ekiti State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (EK-RAAMP), Sunday Adunmo, said he had in 2021 commenced construction work on six pilot roads which were prerequisite for the state to be added to the project, which now has 19 participating states.
Fayemi stated that the work was in top gear to ensure the completion of the roads even as asphalt laying had begun on one of the six roads.
While allaying fears over the continuity of the RAAMP programme in the state following the transition of the Fayemi-led administration, he said the governor- elect, Biodun Oyebanji was part of the present administration which initiated Ekiti’s inclusion in RAAMP.
“Biodun Oyebanji had severally expressed readiness to make rural road construction a key component of the administration’s agricultural development agenda.
“The RAAMP initiative would transform the state economy by providing motorable road access to farms and connecting them to market hubs with the aim of curbing losses experienced by farmers as a result of poor road network.
“The ongoing construction of cargo airport in Ado Ekiti would be of immense benefit to the RAAMP project as the State would ensure maximum use of the airport for transporting farm produce to other States and countries.
“In a couple of months, the state would begin construction of many rural roads and market hubs with the aim of making agriculture a lucrative business for farmers and making Ekiti State the food basket of the South West Nigeria.
“The State RAAMP is targeting construction of 1000km of rural roads across the 16 local government areas of the State,” Fayemi said.
