Garaku (Nasarawa state) -Some residents of Garaku, Nasarawa state, on Friday appealed to Gov. Tanko Al-Makura to look beyond urban development and focus on rural development.
The residents made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Garaku, Kokona local government area.
They said that the call became necessary to reduce youth unemployment as well as to ensure grassroots development.
Mr Anthony Friday appealed to Al-Makura to focus on youths, women and rural development in order to fight poverty, unemployment and youth restiveness.
He said the essence of every government was to improve on the standard of living of its citizens through the initiation of people oriented projects.
“Iam not saying that Gov. Al-Makura did not work or performed but the governor should look beyond urban development.
“It is when projects are sited at the rural areas that such village or community will experience development and this will help in fighting poverty, unemployment and other social vices,’’ he said.
He urged the governor not to concentrate on developing the towns while the rural communities are suffering.
Friday said that if the state government focuses on rural development and youth employment, it would go a long way in reducing youth restiveness, poverty, unemployment and other social vices.
Mr Jeremiah David, another resident of Garaku, decried government lip service to the issue of grassroots development.
He said: “I expect you the journalists to go round the state in order to know how many villages and communities are with good infrastructural facilities and how many communities are without these facilities.’’
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
Malam Mohammed Haruna also appealed to the state government to give priority to rural development so as to fight poverty and enhance the quality of lives of rural dwellers.
He noted that lack of infrastructural facilities in most villages and communities in the state had created untold hardship for the rural populace. (NAN)
