By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – THE Federal Government has blamed the state governments of concentrating their infrastructural projects in the state capitals and cities and abandoning those in the rural area areas, a situation it said was responsible for about 130 million Nigerians being multi-dimensionally poor because they lack access to education, water and good healthcare.

   The states were therefore urged to spread their infrastructural developments for the benefit of all.

   The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba stated this Benin City weekend when he inaugurated 19 kilometre road, water projects, solar-powered street lights, markets and others in Ikoro and Agbomoba communities in Ovia North East local government area of Edo State.

   Agba said the commissioning of the projects was also dispel reports in some sections of the media that there was no presence of the current federal government in the state saying the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has projects spread across the three senatorial zones of the state adding that the projects were part of the national development plan 2021 to 2025, approved by President Buhari.

   He said that the national development plan placed emphasis on integrated rural development to alleviate the sufferings of the vulnerable poor in Nigeria.

   According to him, “These projects were handled by different government agencies.These projects are targeted at eradicating poverty by providing the basic social amenities for the rural poor,” he said.

   On the concentration of projects in state capitals, Agba said “I am not saying that they should abandon the state capitals, but what we are saying is extend part of the development to the rural areas to alleviate their sufferings.They are entitled to these basic amenities because they also vote during elections.

“Just look at these communities, before today, there was no water, no road and no light and there is still no school as you have heard from them. We believe that no one should go beyond two to three kilometers to access a medical facility.”

 After inspecting federal government projects at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and the Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital in Uselu, Agba urged Nigerians to look inward for medical attention rather than going abroad based on the facilities and qualified medical personnel in Nigerian hospitals.