Akwa Ibom State Government is to complement the current road construction work in various parts of the State with road grading and maintenance to open up more rural areas as the rains recede.
This was made known by the Commissioner in the Ministry of Rural Development, Barrister Ekong Sampson, while briefing pressmen in his office, prior to the 29th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State.
The Commissioner described Governor Udom Emmanuel’s approach to infrastructural development as strategic and well integrated.
“The State Government is doing remarkably well in road construction and rehabilitation across the State. We intend to create access to very remote areas,’’ the Commissioner explained.
Barrister Ekong Sampson said that the Akwa Ibom Rural Development Master Plan (AK-RDMP) prepared by his Ministry has identified over 411 rural roads for intervention, lamenting that the heavy rains witnessed this year had rendered a number of rural roads in the State impassable.
The Commissioner said Government has decided to embark on a realistic palliative intervention campaign of grading rural roads to usable status, pending when full construction on them would be attainable.
According to him, the government of Governor Udom Emmanuel is committed to the goal of economic diversification, hence has considered boosting the potentials of local communities and harnessing them towards the achievement of this sustainable socio-economic growth.
Barrister Sampson called on communities to partner the State Government in ensuring the maintenance of rural roads. He said it would not just be enough for Government to grade the roads but that communities should help in protecting and maintaining rural infrastructure.
Reiterating the fact that development cannot just be a government-government affair, the Rural Development Boss drew inference from the development charter in Akwa Ibom Rural Development Master Plan (AK-RDMP) which provides for mutual responsibility towards the transformation and sustenance of infrastructural status of communities, stipulating obligations for both Government and the governed.
