62nd Independence Celebration: Rural community development needs to be prioritised- Stakeholders
Some stakeholders in community development have highlighted rural community development as being key to national development and nation building in Nigeria, hence the need for it to be prioritised.
According to them, this will make for increased access to improved social services and sustainable infrastructure.
The stakeholders spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN ) on Saturday in Bwari, Abuja.
They also spoke against the backdrop of Nigeria’s 62nd independence and how much impact had been made toward rural community development.
Mr Tanzako Solomon, the Traditional Head of Igu community in the district, told NAN that building contemporary and sustainable infrastructure was critical to meeting the needs of people in rural communities.
“ Infrastructure investment boosts economic growth; it opens new business opportunities, and helps people invest in their future.
“However, I cannot say we are doing enough especially in access to social amenities and infrastructure like roads leading to hinterlands or even township communities in this territory.
“Access to water is gold; we are trying but government at all levels have to do more. Community development must be among topmost priority.
“When our leaders come out for election campaigns, they remember us but as soon as they get on seat, it takes the grace of God for at least, one infrastructure to come into these rural communities.”
He added that, until these needs were met, Nigeria would be lagging behind in its developmental goals.
Solomon urged government at all levels to promote the diverse cultural and natural resources endowed in rural areas by boosting the economic potential of those areas through infrastructural development.
Similarly, Mrs Malame Manghza, Director-General, African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFDIFF), an NGO, called on other organisations and civil society groups, to help foster development at the rural level.
According to her, Nigeria at 62 is worth celebrating yet, more work is needed to attract foreign investors into the country, who are expected to help in these developments.
This, she said, must begin at the grassroots level.
She said that community members’ well-being or welfare involving both material sufficiency and non-economic aspects of living such as health and education was important.
Others she mentioned included resource development, involving increased production and efficiency, as well as development involving capacity building and empowerment of the people.
All these, Manghza noted, could only be achieved once government at all levels, organisations and social groups have the interest to improve on the lives of rural dwellers.
Also speaking, Mr John Awoyi, Youth Leader, Bwari Youth Forum, opined that promoting quality education for children and youths at their different levels should be number one priority.
He said that celebrating the growth of the country, since independence in 1960, would not be complete without growth in the education, agriculture and security sectors of the country.
“ Anytime we have to celebrate this great nation, we should be able to celebrate victory over unemployment and insecurity.
“We must be able to show growth in economic stability in an improved standard of education and others as it affects the people generally, not just on paper or social display.
“ Every year, we have an increasing number of graduates struggling to get employed and others who have skills are not encouraged via capacity building and empowerment.
“ If we do not do the needful, we might continue to have all sorts of illicit activities we do not want within our communities.
“ Rural community development should be a thing of paramount priority for every government at all levels, ” Awoyi said.
