.Promises balanced, inclusive devt to halt rural-urban drift
.We won’t give land to political farmers – Wike
President Bola Tinubu has noted the need to establish ranches and improve the lives of rural dwellers in Kwali Area Council of the nation’s capital, Abuja.
“I just left the commissioning of a great mechanization project to come here and looking at what we saw on our way here, we saw opportunities, prosperity and the need for the establishment of ranches and reasons to uplift the lives of our rural people”, the president said at an event Monday in Abuja.
This was as he pledged to assist farmers and herders along the Pai – Gomani corridor off the Abuja – Lokoja expressway in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory FCT to develop opportunities for grazing and resolve potential conflicts.
The president made the pledge when he commissioned a 15-kilometre road from A2 Junction on the Abuja – Lokoja road to Pai town in Kwali Area Council, built by the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike.
Tinubu who renewed his commitment to reducing rural-urban drift, also promised a balanced, inclusive development that would cater for all segments of the population.
At the event, Wike expressed the readiness of the FCT Administration to pay compensation to the community and offer land to serious agro investors, urging those he referred to as “political farmers” not to apply for farmlands.
In his address, the president also noted the need to establish ranches, adding that the new road is strategic as it opens a new corridor for Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Mobility and other areas.
He said; “A leader like Barrister Nyesom Wike and his team is doing a wonderful job, thinking about the people and their needs, and thinking about the country that he represents.
“Ordinarily, as president, I would not have been here and noted what is here. I thank the traditional rulers and the people of this neighborhood for leading their lives quietly.
“On my way here, I observed the need for our great farmers and livestock owners to establish opportunities for grazing and do what is necessary. We will help you. We will work with you. We will convert what used to be a liability and a source of conflict, to a means of prosperity.
“Indeed, this project will continue to elevate our lives if this administration will continue to prioritize infrastructure development in all zones. Particularly, Nyesom Wike and his team, you are doing a good job for the underserved rural areas.
“We will ensure that development is not lopsided but balanced, inclusive, and targeted at lifting lives.
“The commissioning of this newly constructed road from A2 junction on Abuja – Lokoja expressway to Pai town is both symbolic and strategic. It is strategic because it opens a new corridor for Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Mobility and all that is necessary to strengthen our national economy from the grassroots up.
“Rural communities such as Pai make an important contribution to Nigeria’s social and economic fabric, especially in food production and local enterprises. But their potential has been hindered by poor road access, isolation, and neglect for far too long. Today, that narrative is changing.
“This project is one of many we are delivering across the country, and we will not stop. We will continue until every Nigerian can feel the touch of meaningful governance”, the president stated.
‘Political Farmers’
Wike said the availability of arable land in the area could unlock opportunities that could help solve the challenge of food security.
He also revealed that the total length of roads constructed by the president in the satellite towns, including ongoing ones, is over 150 kilometres across the six Area Councils.
He said last year, some of the roads were also commissioned after the president had directed that they be handled as emergency cases. They include the 9km Paikon Kore – Ibwa road in Gwagwalada Area Council; the 5km Gaba – Tokulo road with bridges; the 5 kilometer asphalt carriageway from Tipper Garage Junction to LEA Secretariat in Kuje Area Council; the 11 kilometre Yangoji-Sukuku-Ebbo road in Kwali Area Council; the 5-kilometer temporary access road connecting Saburi 1 and 2 communities to the Outer Northern Expressway ONEX and the old Keffi, Dei-Dei International market road in the Abuja Municipal Area Council AMAC among others.
“If you calculate all, plus the ongoing roads, within the satellite towns, you have done not less than 150 kilometre of road. I try to say this so that people will not say that every time we are in the city and then ask what is happening in the rural areas?
“If you came here before, you would wonder that assuming there was crime, how would security get here? It wasn’t possible.
“Look at the vast arable land. We are talking about food security. With this, many of you who want to be farmers, real farmers, we are willing to pay compensation to communities and give you farmlands so that we can come out of the food problem which the federal government is trying to solve. But real farmers, not political farmers who would keep the land as speculators and then when they know that much development has come, they will start going to sell the land”, he warned.(Vanguard)
