Community road reconstruction : indigenes joyous over plans to fix Itungwa-Nkwoelechi road by govt.

By Editor, Umuahia

As Governor Alex Otti flags off the 19.1Killometers Itungwa-Mgboko-Amaise-Amairi-Omona-Ahiaba—Nkwo-Elechi road, the direct beneficiaries are happy that the government has finally remembered them.

They are also hopeful that the road will be completed in record time.

Traditional ruler of Ituahia autonomous community, HRH Eze Onuigbo Nwogu also enjoined the the government and contractor to engage some locals in the reconstruction work .

He pledged that they would be productive and also protect the the equipment while the job lasted.

At the flag off on Wednesday, governor Alex Otti said Abia is willing to work with regional and international development partner to bring development to all corners of the state

He said, the rural roads had not received the right attention to boost agriculture.

“Food insecurity, unemployment, poverty and the rising tide of rural-urban migration are proofs that the agricultural value chain has not been given the pride of place it deserves in our push for prosperity and the welfare of the people,” he said.

According to governor Otti, the target is to build a broad economic system that runs on the productive energy of the people so that whether you are a farmer, an artisan, or operate in the MSME space, you will always find the government working round the clock to dismantle the barriers that impede your productivity.”

The governor noted that the road project is being constructed under the rural access agricultural marketing project (RAMP), saying, “This is a World Bank-supported scheme under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).

“Governments before ours bought into RAAMP to improve transport conditions and expand access to urban markets for farmers and others who operate in the agricultural value chain.

“This administration is excited to be partnering with the World Bank in this Project as it aligns perfectly with our vision of bringing sustainable development to the rural communities through structured investments in social infrastructure.”

Governor Otti further disclosed that RAAMP is an integrated infrastructural development framework set up to stimulate the economic transformation of our rural communities adding that the project will also see to the improvement and upgrade of 6 agro-logistics hubs in different parts of the state.

“The project is structured to make the State a thriving agricultural hub and effectively expand the volume of investments in the sector. This will in turn create jobs for our teeming youth population and generate wealth for the entrepreneurs who will put our agricultural resources, including large expanses of fertile land, into effective use.

“The markets cutting across 6 local government areas in the 3 senatorial districts include: Eke Uzuakoli in Bende LGA, Ndioro Market in Ikwuano, Orie Obinto in Arochukwu, Nkwo Elechi in Obingwa, Nkwo Ebe in Isiala Ngwa South, and Ohanku Market in Ukwa East.

“As you will agree with me, RAAMP is about bringing the markets to the farms, cutting out post-harvest losses and increasing the profit margin of our farmers who would no longer have to travel long distances to access markets in the urban centres, he said.

The governor also said that in order to sustain the anticipated gains of RAAMP, his government had set up mechanisms for the establishment of support structures, including the Rural Access Road Agency (RARA) which will see to the continuous maintenance of the roads at the end of the RAAMP cycle.

The state government has also paid it’s counterpart funding of N600m to the world bank to be a beneficiary of the project.

The road project which will gulp a whopping N2bn is to be delivered within one year according to the representative of the contractor, Mr. Chris Soribe.