Osun Begins Construction Of Rural Access Roads For Farm Settlements

The Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Agriculture and Food Security, Honourable Festus Agunbiade, has stated that in a bid to encourage farming and promote food security, the State Government of Osun has begun the construction of access roads to all the farm settlements across the state.

Agunbiade further stressed that the construction of the access roads is being done by an agency named Osun Rural Access and Mobility Project (O’ RAMP).

He stated this last Monday at Esa-Oke Farm Settlement, while inaugurating six cooperative groups, saddled with the responsibilities of maintaining the rural roads in the various farm settlements.

According to Agunbiade, the construction of the rural roads would afford the farmers to transport their goods to markets and neighbouring communities for sale as at when due without any difficulty again.

The O’ RAMP Coordinator, Engineer Adelere Oriolowo, stated that the state government has constructed access roads in six farm settlements, adding that the World Bank has also approved the construction of 50 kilometers rural roads in the state.

Oriolowo noted that the government employed the cooperative groups for the maintenance of the rural roads in the six farm settlements because of their proximity to the roads as they are the major beneficiaries of the projects.

Saying that the state government has invested huge amount in agriculture, Orilowo said the government is responsible for funding the road maintenance, adding that the maintenance groups were entitled to monthly stipends from the state government.

The six farm settlements that have benefited from the access roads project are: Pataara-Iwo, Ago-Owu, Ayegbaju/Arogundade, Esa-Oke, Idiroko/Akinleye, Okodowo and Onikoko.

While speaking on FADAMAIII and RAMP collaboration, the State Project Coordinator of FADAMAIII, Elder Ganiyu Adebowale Adedeji added that the intervention of FADAMA in RAMP projects became necessary in order to provide working tools for the road maintenance groups.

Ganiyu said that FADAMA has provided a tricycle for Pataara-Iwo road maintenance groups and while giving head pans and wheel barrows to use in moving laterite to fill potholes with 1unit tricycle with maximum speed of 50km/per hour to other maintenance groups.

Commending the state government, the President, Idiroko/Akinleye-Oorelope RAMP Road Maintenance group, Mr Yekini Ademola, said the construction of the access roads is succour to the farmers in the affected areas.