Oyo govt to approve executive bill establishing RARA

Oyo State government has expressed its readiness to approve the executive Bill for the establishment of Rural Access Roads Agency (RARA) for the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) implementation, maintenance and sustainability in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Adeniyi Adebisi, disclosed this while speaking at a one-day stakeholders’ workshop on Road Sector Reform, organised by the RAAMP, in conjunction with Federal Project Implementation Unit (FPMU) and World Bank, held at Koltotel Plaza and Suites in Ibadan.

Adebisi explained that the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration has prioritised the rural development programme in the state, adding that those programmes would enhance the welfare of the people at grassroots level.

The commissioner, in a release signed by the RAAMP’s Development Communication Officer, Olusegun Adesoji maintained that the major concern of the present administration in the state is to create a solid platform that would be an all-inclusive system of government that will transform rural dwellers.

He hinted that the government paid the counterparts fund in order to provide good roads that will link state’s roads for easy movement of their farm produce through the implementation of the RAAMP project.

The commissioner noted that since the Sector Reform policy of RARA was to ensure sustainability of RAAMP roads after the life span of the project, the state government would do everything within its capacity to ensure RARA bill is passed into law.

The national coordinator of RAAMP, Aminu Bodinga, said the Sector reform was designed to have an institution backed by law after the exit of the development partners  of RAAMP in Oyo State, adding that this will give the state government capacity to ensure sustainability and maintenance of the RAAMP roads.

The National Coordinator, who spoke through the National Infrastructure Engineer, Bukar Gana, hinted that RAAMP was designed to provide various interventions to about 2000km rural roads in Oyo State, stressing that the project would stay for seven years for the intervention partners to exit.

According to him, “We have identified about 10,000 km roads network in Oyo State with about 4,000km rural roads and the intervention is for about 2000kms and we want this project to continue after the exit of the development partners.

“This can only be achieved if the people of Oyo State reform the road sector by having institutions that will enhance the sustainability of the RAAMP roads through maintenance.”

He commended the state government for supporting the sustainability of the RAAMP project in the state.

Earlier, in  his welcome address, the Oyo State  RAAMP Coordinator, Dr. Yode Ayanlowo, said the project has received more support from the present administration in the state than before which has allowed the state to be a pacesetter among 13 participating RAAMP states.

While making his presentation, the World Bank Consultant on Roads Sector Reform, Mr. Maysam Abedin said the engagement of stakeholders was to get their consensus opinion on how the sector would be properly managed at the end.

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