By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

CROSS River State Government has completed about 227 out of 319 approved micro projects valued over N900 million in fourteen Local Government Areas.

The projects which were parts of the Governor Liyel Imoke led administration’s efforts towards imparting positively on the lives of the rural dwellers of the state and completed as at August 2012, were in the areas of education, environment and health which were given more priority and water, transport and socioeconomic micro initiatives.

Speaking at a quarterly review meeting with Community projects management committee in Calabar, the General Manager of the State Community and Social development Agency, Pastor Victor Ovat said that such platform became necessary to improve on the current profile in completion of micro projects amongst hinterlands and communities of the state that is now very competitive on a national scale.

Ovat said that the agency intervention initiatives, have taken steps to enhance optimal performance in projects completion through regular exchange of experiences designed to overcome teething challenges in the field, and that the periodic review sessions will enable the agency mainstream the status of rural projects to achieve best practices and effective service delivery efforts at the third tier level.

He disclosed that about 227 out of 319 approved micro projects valued over N900 million had so far been completed in fourteen local government areas across the state as at August 2012, adding that education, environment and health were the more priority sectors followed by water, transport and socioeconomic micro initiatives.

The meeting resolved that while issues of laxity, absenteeism and incompetence on the part of benefiting communities would be punished, effective supervision will be guaranteed by ensuring that all existing projects were duly completed and commissioned before the initiation of new ones in a bid to achieve timely completion and adherence to specifications.

In separate interaction with newsmen, beneficiary communities acknowledged the efforts of the administration in sustaining the tempo of rural development, stating that rural intervention strategy had proved very successful as well as helped to boost micro-economic initiatives at the grassroots.