Developing The Rural Communities

According to the Scholastic Children’s dictionary, it define “rural” as, anything to do with the countryside or farming while the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Lexicon defines “community” as, “All” the people who live in a particular area or country.
These two related words, rural and community pragmatically formed the nucleus of any settlement or habitation, globally.
Comparatively, the misconception which regards the “rural areas” as an isolated entity in terms of socio-economic development should be addressed with humanity.
Again, the principles of “equity and justice” should always be applied in the distribution of social amenities to both the rural and the urban areas.
The era of classifying the rural dwellers as second class citizens and the urban dwellers as first class citizens is over.
Because the commitment of the rural inhabitants and her counterparts from the city complement each other.
In Nigeria, during the pre-colonial and post-independence period, the colonial fathers and the freedom fighters set the pace on development, irrespective of rural or urban status.
Notably, the “Directorate of Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure” of the previous military administration in the country tried on her part to tackle the under-development of the rural areas. It was on this note that the people of Okpeden south, in Abua/Odual local Government Area, comprising; Emoh, Ogbemakoku, Iyak, Ighiom, Elok and Esidia Oodum communities are commending the dynamic Rivers State Governor, Right Honorable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for his positive steps towards rural transformation.
Governor Amaechi’s rural developmental efforts include, Electricity, Roads, Health centers, the building of model primary and secondary schools in all the twenty-three local government areas of the state.
More so, the Chiefs and people of Okpeden-south are passionately appealing to the present administration to immediately up-grade the eight kilometer Emoh juncction-Ogbemakoku-Iyak-Ighiom-Elok-Esidia Oodum feeder road to ease the long existing sufferings of the people on a motorable road.
Again, the newly inaugurated board members of the Niger Delta Development Commission, should vigorously address the under ­development of most communities in the Niger Delta region, especially, the six localities of Okpeden south in Abolga in order to put smiles into the minds of the inhabitants.
Subsequently, as the people are also thankful on the governor’s magnanimity towards rural electrification, they as well enjoin him to extend this kindness to the six localities of Emoh, Ogbemakoku, Iyak, Ighiom, Elok and Esidia Oodum communities.
It would be recalled that during the Governor Amaechi’ s working tour to Abua/Odual Local Government Area on July, 2009, he promised linking the entire Abua kingdom with the national electric power grid.
The Governor’s pronouncement has began to actualize through the provision of Nine transformers by the state government to the Area, which work on the installation of the electric transformers have started at the state utility sub-station at Abua Central.
More over, the chiefs and people of Okpeden-south in Abolga will not relent in thanking the Chairman of Abual Odual Local Government, Mr. Udi Odum for his quest in rural development, but advise him to maintain the tempo through the decentralisation of projects to all nooks and crannies equitably.
Most importantly, we the communities of Okpeden-South will not fail to supplement the government efforts by setting up monitoring task-force to prevent any government project from vandalisation.
The Chiefs and people of Okpeden-South are in partnership with both the state Government and Abolga Council in building a strong and virile Rivers State for posterity.
Abije wrote in from Abua.

Roy Godpower Abije