By Yinusa Ishola
Omu-Aran (Kwara) – A group, Sustainable Grassroot Mobilisers (SGM), has urged the Federal Government to consider expanding its housing scheme to the grassroots to attract investors to rural communities and reduce rural-urban migration.
Mr Samuel Alayande, President of SGM made the call on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara.
Alayande said that the urgent need to build and rehabilitate homes at highly subsidised rate, especially for people in the rural communities informed his call.
According to him, such intervention will also assist the three tiers of governments in achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) project.
He said that the grassroots housing scheme extension could be achieved by the Federal Government through partnership with the local government councils, individuals and relevant groups.
“It could also be achieved by a synergy and collaboration between the state government, the local government authorities and the private sector.
“Such government intervention will go a long way to attract investors and entrepreneurs in hotels, banking, industries and other related businesses to rural communities,” he said.
The community leader observed that development at the grassroots was not conducive enough to attract the desired transformation and integration.
Alayande said: “Such housing deficit, especially at the grassroots, if not properly addressed could be a stumbling block to the efforts toward reducing the challenge of rural-urban migration confronting the country.
“There is therefore the urgent need for government to promote and facilitate an aggressive development drive to attract the desired investment at the grassroots.
“This will equally help to raise the living standards of the people of the communities.”
He blamed the high concentration of government housing projects in state capitals and urban settlements to lack of development being witnessed in many rural communities.
“The absence of such well-equipped, decent and affordable houses is making it more unattractive for public officials on essential duties, like teachers, doctors to work in rural communities.
“The housing situation is usually compounded when residents affected by rainstorms in towns and villages are often left unassisted and unattended to,” the president said.
Alayande, however, described the present high level of infrastructure decay in most communities across the country as worrisome, adding, “they require urgent government attention’’.
“Governments should therefore allocate substantial part of their budget and finances to housing and other infrastructural development for socio-economic development of the people,” he said.
(NAN)
