Mimiko kicks off rural infrastructure project for Niger Delta

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, on Monday, in Akure, kicked off the rural infrastructure Micro Project, funded by the European Union and the Federal Government, for nine states in the Niger Delta region.More than 71.5 million Euros would be spent on the projects to be executed in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers. The programme financing agreement was signed in 2008 under an intervention scheme tagged: Micro-Project Programme (MPP9).The EU is to provide 45.5 million Euros, while communities, local councils and the state governments to benefit from the projects would contribute 26 million Euros.Mimiko said that the state government had put in place institutional framework for the sustainability of the programme.The governor said the government had executed more than 300 community based projects worth N3 billion across the state.'We have disbursed N73 million to communities while another N129 million would soon be disbursed to about 30 communities that met the criteria for the fund,' Mimiko said. Dr Shamsudeen Usman, the Minister of National Planning Commission, said at the launch of the programme, that the projects were aimed at reducing poverty in rural and sub-urban communities in the region.Usman said that the programmes would help to promote gender equality and participation in local governance and development.He said the that the European Commission had since 2002 supported Micro-Project Programmes in the Niger Delta through the MPP3 and 6.'The success recorded by the two levels, which have successfully provided some 2,000 communities with socially and economically relevant projects, informed the formulation of the MPP9,' he said.The Head of EU Delegation in Nigeria, Amb David MacRae, said that 60 micro projects would be provided in Ondo State under the programme.According to him, the EU will provide N300 million, while local governments and the benefiting communities will inject the balance of N300 million under the programme which will cost N600 million.MacRae said 12 health posts, 12 school blocks, seven open and lock-up market stalls, 13 solar powered water supply schemes, four cassava and palm oil mills and 12 civic centres would be provided in various communities in the state.
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