Abia Government has announced its plans to commence a community development programme to ensure even spread of socioeconomic growth in rural areas of the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr Okey Kanu, disclosed this, Monday ,at Government House, Umuahia during a press briefing on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
Prince Kanu stated that the programme which would be known as “Community Choose Your Project” would be done through the Abia State Community Social Development Development Agency.
“The Government’s efforts to rebuild Abia will not just be focused on Aba and Umuahia.
“Government is being strategic in its bid to rebuild the state and has decided to move to the hinterlands,” he added.
According to him, government officials would tour the various rural communities in the state, in order to interact with the people and get to know the kind of infrastructure they need.
He said that the people would choose the projects that they want the government to deliver in their communities and added that the cost of executing the project must not be more than N15 million.
Prince Kanu said that the government had put in place a measure known as equity participation to ensure that the programme would be a huge success.
He said that the communities participating in the programme would be expected to contribute 5 per cent of the amount meant for the project, adding that this would make them own the projects.
“When people don’t invest either efforts or resources in a venture, they tend not to take it seriously.
“In this wise, government expects communities to make some form of contribution to actually make them own those projects”, he said.
Also, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Policies and Interventions, Rev’d Father Christian Anokwuru, urged communities interested in the programme to inform the agency through a letter of application, stating the project of their choice.
Rev’d father Anokwuru,2nd left
Anokwuru said that the projects would be co-owned by government and the benefiting community.
