World Bank releases $75 million for erosion control, set to spend N21 billion on 500km rural roads in Abia

www.odogwublog.com reports that the World Bank under its Rural Access and Mobility Project ( RAMP) is to spend N21 billion on 500 kilometer rural roads in Abia State.
Besides rural road rehabilitation, the World Bank has also released a whopping $75 million to the state to help it tackle erosion , flooding and build drainages through the New Map programme.
 Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu who disclosed this at a RAMP Stakeholders Workshop recently in Umuahia, said the  roads would cut across rural communities in the state.
The Governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Obinna Oriaku, solicited the support of the stakeholders particularly traditional rulers and Town Union Executives to ensure the success of the project.
He warned against unnecessary interruptions and demands for compensations or "marching ground" ( development fees) by locals, saying that Government will not tolerate any action that would stall the project.
" There  should be no demand from the World Bank assisted project, like marching ground or compensation", Ikpeazu warned.
The Governor further charged the traditional rulers to prevail on youths in their respective communities  not to constitute themselves into a stumbling block to the development of their areas.
Ikpeazu said that the project would help to open up rural roads in the state and correct the allegation that his administration is only concentrating on urban roads.
According to him the RAMP project will complement the efforts of the State Government towards massive rural road rehabilitation across the state.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of RAMP, Mr Ularamu Obandoma, said that the project had been expanded and would now be known as Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project.
He assured that the quality of the roads would be World Bank standard,madding that the project is aimed at giving hope to rural dwellers.
Speaking at the event, Permanent  Secretary, Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, Very Rev Ernest Onyeukwu, said the project would drastically reduce rural- urban migration.
“The objective of the project is to support and improve the access and mobility of rural communities by providing improve all seasons access roads network in selected and prioritized rural areas in collaboration with federal and state governments", he added.
He also said it would support the institutional reforms in the transport sector of the economy and reduce poverty among the rural dwellers through easy access to socio-economic facilities.
The Permanent Secretary explained that the essence of the  workshop was to sensitize and mobilize stakeholders in the affected communities to fully participate in the planning, execution and maintenance of the roads.
He thanked the Word Bank for the intervention and assured that Abia State Government would continue to play its part in the partnership.