Oyebanji’s support helped us to construct more rural roads in Ekiti ―Adunmo, RAAMP coordinator

Oyebanji’s support helped us to construct more rural roads in Ekiti ―Adunmo, RAAMP coordinator

The Ekiti State Project coordinator of the World Bank-assisted Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), Hon. Sunday Adunmo, in this interview with ‘YOMI AYELESO, speaks on how the support of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the last three years has boosted the activities of the project, leading to the contract award of over 130 kilometers of road construction across the state.

In the last few years that you have been here, what has been the major task of the RAAMP programme in Ekiti State?

I think RAAMP is just an upgrade of Rural Access Mobility Vehicle that wound up few years ago before the commencement of what we now have now. RAAMP is an improvement on what they did then because the other one was mobility, which basically created access and what they did was surface dressing. But this time around, it was upscaled to a different level by adding the marketing of agro logistics aspect of it, which is constructing roads that link rural dwellers to the market and help to bring their goods from the farmstead to the market. That is just the beauty of RAAMP.

How many kilometers of roads have been constructed in the state under this current RAAMP programme and what are their impacts?

The impacts are overwhelming, and it is everywhere. We have awarded about 132 kilometers of road construction altogether and, as we speak, we have completed between 40 and 50 kilometers with asphalt laid on them. By the special grace of God, we should be able to commission at least two or three of these roads during the third anniversary of this administration in the coming days.

When will the rest of the kilometres of road be completed?

As we speak now, asphalting of these roads are ongoing and the commissioning of these roads will start and continue every week now till February next year because we have over 18 roads already lined up for commissioning.

What are the impacts of these roads on the people and the state in general?

Like I said earlier, if you visit any of our roads, then you would know what we are talking about. By the rules that brought up the programme, it is about opening up those farmsteads. For instance, if you go to Ise-Imola road in Ikere, we have a lot of farm settlements along the corridor and you will see how farmers suffer to bring their goods to the market or even to the main road.

By connecting those roads to the market or to the main road, it has improved their means of livelihood. If you go to Agbado-Ekiti, as we speak, you will see many goods that are stuck in the bush, you will see a lot of sacks of goods that are meant to be taken to the market that are hooked up in the bush, but with the coming up of what we are doing through the roads, that has been addressed. There is now easy movement of goods from those farms to the market. Go to Ilupeju-Ekiti, we have similar thing and in most of the areas.

Another instance is that of Ikole-Ikoyi-Isaba road, where the enrolment at the community school there was nothing to write home about. It had a few students and a teacher but, as we speak, we have no less than ten teachers at the place, and the enrolment has grown to above 200 students. Additionally, the market in the area that was closed down for years is now back on track, and you will see trucks moving goods from the place to other places within and outside the state.

But there are insinuations that these road projects are done solely by the World Bank without any inputs and commitment from the state government; what is the true state of things?

Let me tell you that it is just a partnership and collaboration. That is why it is called World Bank-assisted project. No World Bank will leave their country home and come to a state and start constructing a road. This office was a creation of the state. The state did everything here as part of its contributions. Money was spent in all those training, purchase of vehicles and every other thing that is part of what we are seeing at the preparatory stage. Then, the engagement of the consultant and every other thing was done by the state.

Not that alone, there is what we call counterpart funds, where every state has a percentage. It is 18% of the total contract sum that the state must put in place for civil works. It is not a grant, it is a loan that the state is using to construct roads through an assisted model and it will be paid back. They remain state government roads that were assisted by the World Bank loan, which will be paid back with a minimal interest around 1% or whatever. And that is why the sustainability of that particular road is key to the bank and to the state.

We have set up two agencies that are going to monitor those roads because we don’t have maintenance culture, not only in Ekiti, but all over. At least, this road must be maintained for at least 30 years to 50 years and the moment you notice a crack on it, you move in there, stop it and repair it.

Infrastructure brings development to a community, it brings buildings along that particular corridor, and people will need access to them. We have an agency that is going to be doing that the moment we hand over the road projects and they will continue to do the maintenance. If you notice anything on the road, their duty is just to go there and fix it.

Knowing full well the project started during the administration of the former governor, what has been the inputs and contributions of the present administration to the RAAMP project in the state?

You know, the irony of it is that we were at the preparatory stage when Dr Kayode Fayemi was in power and he gave us money to start up. That was what we used in doing our road design and every other thing. Let me tell you that a day after the inauguration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in 2022 was the beginning of the good news. That was when we got the first tranche of the commitment from the World Bank and that was when the contract agreement was signed. We were not listed initially because it was designed for 13 states and Ekiti was not there but due to the passionate attitude of the former governor and the current governor who was the Secretary of the State Government (SSG) then, they took it upon themselves to visit Abuja several times to request that we be included in it. The World Bank said it was too late but said if we could put some things in place, we may likely be enlisted. We went on to flag-off six pilot roads, including Iyin-Odoro-Aroto road, Ogotun-Alagbede, Ago Aduloju-Kajola road, Itaji-Orisunmibare road, Imesi-Kosomolate-ipole road and FMS Okeako road, those are the things that were done in preparatory to the enrolment.

Are you saying Governor Oyebanji has been key to the success of the project in the last three years?

Yes, he (Oyebanji) has been critical to what we are doing here in RAAMP. There was a survey conducted last year and Ekiti took home two out of the five awards from among the 19 beneficiary states. People were asking how we were able to achieve that feat. That feat alone is one of the reasons we are part of the upscaling they are doing now.

The project’s Scale-Up phase aims to deepen these interventions, ensuring that improved rural infrastructure translates into sustainable economic growth, food security, and poverty reduction across Nigeria’s rural communities, including Ekiti. The attitude of the governor has been tremendous. He even at a time followed us to the bank to ensure all issues were resolved and he paid the counterpart funds in record time so that we would not be left alone.

What will you say has been the feedback from the people across communities where you have constructed these roads?

Let me tell you this, we don’t just embark on any road construction. What we do is in stages, starting from identification of those roads, to prioritisation and we also have it on the map to know the connectivity of those roads. In the local government areas, we identified roads that will make impacts in the lives of the people, not roads that lead to nowhere; we looked at roads that connect farmstead and the type of products that are coming from there. We didn’t construct a road because it leads to your father’s house. No, we don’t do it. We select those roads based on their degree of importance. For instance, we picked Enu Odi-Ita Eku-Igirigiri road because it leads to Igimakogo farm settlement in Ado Ekiti which is about 8 kilometres and if you go there, you will see a lot of farm crops, including cassava, along that route. At the Ben Folarin to Oke Aso road, you will see a lot of farmers there bringing their goods to the market and that was a thing they struggled to achieve in the past.

Will you say the administration of Governor Oyebanji has actually impacted positively on the state in the last three years and what should the people expect?

I would describe the administration in the last three years as so impactful and I see Governor Oyebanji as an addicted developer, somebody that can go the extra mile in doing things for the people. He is an intentionally committed someone that has a regular passion for development. That is why they call him a homeboy; he knows where the shoe pinches. The people should be expectant, and a lot is coming because we have listed no fewer than 30 fresh roads for construction and don’t forget we are moving to about 1,000 kilometers of roads. It took us time to start, but now that we started, you will see more work, it’s going to be more construction, supervision, delivery, and commissioning. Let me say that by the time it is for political campaigns next year, the roads will be ready for commissioning and by the time we are commissioning them, the benefitting communities will show appreciation to the governor with votes for a deserving second term.