NAN-H-37
Equipment
By Chukwuemeka Opara
Abakaliki, Nov. 28, 2017 (NAN) The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has distributed road maintenance equipment to selected trainees across local government areas in Ebonyi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the equipment, worth millions of naira, were presented to the trainees on Tuesday in Abakaliki.
Mr Sunday Ituma, the IFAD-VCDP Project Coordinator in Ebonyi, said the equipment included shovels, head-pans, wheel- barrows, dippers and road tillers.
He added that the programme spent huge funds in training the trainees at the National Building and Road Research Institute in Ogun.
He added that “the trainees were trained on maintenance of rural roads that were
in several stages of completion in local government areas.
“The road maintenance project is part of IFAD-VCDP intervention in Izzi, Ikwo and Afikpoa South.
“IFAD-VCDP has realised that the major problem of rural-road intervention is maintenance, as it affects several road projects of past progammes such as the Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DIFRRI), among others.”
“We also realised that when roads are graded, they are washed by rains, so, we decided to take this proactive step of selecting, training and equipping selected persons
for this assignment.”
He urged the trainees to utilise the equipment for the intended purposes and collaborate with fellow youths and other members of their communities to maintain the roads.
He added that “this is a community-based service that does not attract payment to you but it will not be wrong if the communities appreciate your efforts.
“You should also make adequate use of the equipment and ensure that you keep them at your group leader’s house for easy retrieval whenever needed and for supervision by our national office.
“You should commence work immediately because our mission–team would soon be visiting the state and also take photograph of your activities for onward submission to our national and foreign offices.”
He also informed the trainees that they could be allowed to collect tolls on the roads in collaboration with National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) but only when the roads were completed.
Mr Innocent Obia, the Value Chain Infrastructure Officer in the state, also urged the trainees to make judicious use of the equipment, threatening to punish anyone who used them for private uses.
“Do not share them among yourselves because they were not given by politicians but keep them in the houses of your group leaders whenever you finish work,” he said.
Mr Dickson Agwu, Leader of the trainees, thanked IFAD-VCDP for finding them worthy to engage in the task, pledging to be good ambassadors of the programme.
He said “we would perform the duties diligently to ensure that Ebonyi emerged the best in rural road maintenance among IFAD-VCDP participating states.” (NAN)
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