Ogun State Commissioner for Rural Development, Hon. Olufemi Ilori-Oduntan, has underscored the importance of rural development to the overall development of any nation.
Ilori-Oduntan, who spoke on resumption of office at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abeokuta, the State capital, on Monday, said the “total resolve and pursuit of Prince Dapo Abiodun wellness in Rural area has helped in taming unchecked urbanisation which usually put pressure on urban infrastructure.”
The Commissioner, who was sandwiched by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Adewale Adetayo Olutimehin and Senior Directors, said the rural-urban drift check would prolong the life-span of urban infrastructure, assuring that the Rural Access And Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) as well as the Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASAN), which are development drivers in the hinterland under the ISEYA mantra of the Abiodun administration, would be reinvigorated for optimal performance.
Earlier in his welcome address, Mr. Olutimehin said apart from engaging in infrastructural development of the rural areas, the Ministry is noted for providing soft loan to rural women to upscale their businesses.
“We are doing this with the understanding that if and when we empower women, we empower a whole nation,” Olutimehin added.
He further assured the Commissioner, who had earlier superitend the affairs of Special Duties Ministry after a stint at the State Primary Education Board (SUBEB), of the staff unalloyed support during her tenure.