Date Published: 02/09/10

Ondo spends N1.483bn on rural development

Gov. Mimiko

In furtherance of its commitment to rapid transformation of life at the community level, Ondo State government is expending one billion naira on community development this year. This is aside from the sum of Four Hundred and eighty three million expended on the provisions of quick win projects in 80 communities in three local government councils last year.

The Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko disclosed this on Monday in Akure while declaring open a one week for the second phase of the Training And Project Programme (TAPPII) for 150 Community Change Agents.

Apart from this, Mimiko revealed that the government is embarking on 150 projects at 10 projects per each of the renaming 15 local government areas under the 3is initiative while it will develop capacities in the initial 80 pilot communities in the second phase.

According to him the N483 million spent on community development in 2009 was a testimony of the resolve of his government to empower communities to take their destines in their hands while the government will only provide the enabling environment for the achievement of this goals.

Dr. Mimiko remarked that since the greatest challenge facing the society now is Youth unemployment, all stakeholders must look for ingenious ways to find jobs for the Youths in order to channel their energies to creative ventures rather than allowing them to become veritable tools in the hands of mischief makers. While describing the first set of Seventy Five members of the Volunteers Corps as worthy  ambassadors of the State, the Governor said the new trainees who would be amazed at the level of energy and positive engagement being wasted at the Community level should regard their participation as a call to duty and life changing experience for a better output.

Dr Mimiko however warned that government would not tolerate non-presentation of periodic reports as such act will affect speedy implementation of community change programmes. He enjoined the trainees to be conscious of political happenings in their environment since there is a nexus between election, democracy and governance. In his speech, the Commissioner for Community Development and Cooperatives, Mr. Clement Faboyede said the programme had modified the thinking and psyche of the agents after seeing poverty rate in the three Pilot Local government areas off Ifedore, Owo and Odigbo. Also speaking at the forum, the Commissioner for Employment, Labour and Productivity, Mr. Wole Akinjo said a website would soon be created for the agents to interact with government on getting paid jobs.