Ekiti State government has revealed its plan to embark on 12 rural roads interventions projects in a bid to make communities roads accessible.
The state government added that the road projects would be constructed under Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP)
Mr. Rufus Adumo, RAAMP’s Coordinator, made the disclosure at a session with journalists in Ado Ekiti at the weekend.
At the session, Adumo advocated for proper maintenance culture on Nigerian roads to enable it last longer.
He said most Fadama roads in the country were all in bad shape, which had made access to rural areas and farmlands to be difficult for farmers to have access to their farms.
Adumo explained that the project “is creating access for farmers and those people leaving in the rural area to have access to the market their goods.
“Ekiti RAAMP has three interventions that has been approved which includes rehabilitation, backlog maintenance of about 73 kilometres of rural roads for this year.”
He pointed out that the body is intervening in some state roads, saying the concept is to create access from the farms to prevent post-harvest losses.
Adumo said all interventions on rural access roads “will be in all the local government councils already divided in phrases, which include Igirigiri/Ado-Odo-Ado, Ben Folarin/Oke Aso/Ilawe road, Ogotun, Oye/Are, among other roads in the state. We will also intervene in some roads about 131 kilometres on “spot improvements” in all the local governments.”
He said the 12 roads that would receive attention might be spread to twelve contractors that would deliver on the roads because this is a performance-based contract.
Adumo said about 20 states in Nigeria “are currently participating in RAAMP now. The president has mandated other states of the country to join the project.
“RAAMP is creating access for all the farmers to the market. Farmers will make more money to enjoy the fruit of the labour and they will get richer through this project.”