The Minister for National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, did not mince words when, after a visit to Ondo State, he adjudged it a pace-setter in community development.

Toeing the same line, the European Union envoy in Nigeria, Ambassador David MacRae, said Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s success story  in community  development will be adopted  by his home country. Usman and MacRae spoke at the flag-off of Micro Projects Programme (MPP9 )held in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The Caring Heart Market initiated as part of Mimiko’s community development programme

Mimiko had used the occasion to disclose that his administration had spent over N3billion on  425 projects in the various communities of the state in the last three years with over 300 of the projects completed.

The MPP9 is an EU-FG intervention programme covering the nine Niger Delta States of Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa,Cross River, Delta , Edo, Imo Ondo and Rivers States. It is aimed at reducing poverty in the rural and sub –urban communities in the region.

Usman said, at the occasion, that steps taken by Mimiko in community development is commendable, describing his approach as standard.

“As the National Authorizing officer of EU programmes  in the country, i feel honoured and privileged to be  associated with this success story”, the minister said.

MacRae  said the success story of  Mimiko in community development and health will be taken back to his home country to emulate as he said the main purpose  of MPP9 is to reduce poverty  of rural and semi-urban communities in Ondo and other eight  Niger Delta states through the promotion of participatory  and gender equitable local development  governance.

Flagging off the programme, Mimiko said apart from spending over N3billion on the execution of community projects, N129m will be disbursed to those communities that have embarked on self help projects, saying more communities will benefit as soon as they are qualified.

Advancing  reasons for the success so far recorded by the Mimiko  administration in the area of community development ,the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Kayode Akinmade, said his principal’s   determination to develop and impact on the people positively through implementation of different development programmes, commercial innovations and creating an enabling environment for partnerships and investors is  the rationale behind the  developmental programmes for these local communities.

He disclosed that as early as the government’s two year anniversary, community projects worth over N350m were commissioned by the  governor, adding that, so far, the government has erected projects in over 400 communities in the state.

These projects, Akinmade said, are part of the Quick Win Confidence building projects of the administration using its 3i’s initiative.The 3i’s initiative is designed by the state with a special focus on rural and community development, using the participatory , community –driven “bottom –up with top down support” approach.

The 3i’s  is an acronym for Infrastructure, Institution and Industry. The first “I” which stands for “Infrastructure” is aimed at building confidence and trust while the second “I” which stands for “Institution” is aimed at empowering communities for sustainable development and the third “I” which stands for “Industry” is aimed at enriching the people of Ondo State.

The  initiative was designed to rebuild the confidence of the people in government through the provision of basic infrastructure, implementation of community projects such as electricity, water, access to primary health care and education within rural communities.Through the initiative, the government identifies existing institutions and encourages the setting up of new ones and supports such institutions by building their capacities and providing financial support for development. In the area of Industry, the government identifies potential and viable industries within the communities that are now being expanded to encourage commerce and generate income for the people.
To achieve the aim of the government under this initiative, teams are usually raised from time to time to visit identified communities to determine projects desired by them. It is whatever projects the natives demanded that are committed to native contractors who are resident within the community and well known to the residents while details of the contract are made open to the community members.
Before the latest approach, rural dwellers had lost confidence in the government as promises made to them in the area of infrastructure provision by successive governments were never fulfilled. This was the initial challenge the Mimiko government was confronted with.
An instance of such apathy against the government was the scenario that played out in Oyin village of former police chief, SundayEhindero

. When the government initiated its community development idea and a team was raised to visit the village, they were chased away.
According to the people, all developmental projects that have taken place in Oyin had been through self effort because successive governments that promised one thing or the other never redeemed those promises, hence they were not ready to be taken for a ride by yet another government.

News of the occurrence did not go down well with Mimiko who insisted that officials of the relevant ministry should go back to the village and convince them that his is really a sincere government that should be given the opportunity to demonstrate its sincerity. This approach worked wonders as the natives welcomed back the visiting team and demanded for a Town Hall. And, about two months later, the Town Hall was delivered.

Within the space of just two years, the Mimiko-led government had demonstrated so much passion and commitment to the rural development in the state such that about 400 confidence building projects, gulping N2, 594,795.00  were executed in 305 communities across the state. Some of the projects erected in these communities include cottage, basic health centres, classrooms blocks, culvert, open market stalls, and solar-powered boreholes and staff quarters, among others.

By Femi Adepoju