The managing director of the Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority (BORBDA), Saliu Ahmed, says the federal government executed no less than 608 rural projects in Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and Delta communities in the last eight years.

BORBDA operates in Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and Delta North Senatorial District.

Mr Ahmed, in an interview on Saturday in Benin, listed the projects to include the provision of rural electrification, drainages, rural roads, buildings, markets, construction of hostel blocks, irrigation, and water supply projects.

Others are solar power supply, fish gages, youth empowerment, trainings, underground water development, feed mills, oil mills, procurement of bulldozers and graders, poultry houses, dams, and establishment of integrated farms, among others.

He noted that of the 608 projects executed in communities in the four states, Edo had about 374 projects, Ondo-69, Ekiti-113 and Delta North senatorial district-52.

Mr Ahmed explained that Edo rural communities benefitted compared to the other states under BORBDA with more than half of the entire projects.

He noted that legislators at the National Assembly from Edo and the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, facilitated projects into BORBDA annual budgets.

“Other legislators from the other states did not put theirs in our budgets, in spite of our appeals to them.

“They patronised other agencies more. So that is why Edo rural communities have more projects than communities in our operation areas,” he said.

According to him, the Uzanu North Uneme community benefitted from the construction of internal access roads construction of a water scheme in Ewatto in Esan South East.

Others are construction of solar-powered water works plus reticulation in Ikoro, Ovia North East area, ldumuangue, ward 8, Uromi and erosion control in Idinli lake at Auchi.

On the number of dams the basin has constructed that were functional, Mr Ahmed explained that most of the dams in its catchment states were completed while a few others are ongoing.

He said integrated farms were also established in catchment areas.

“We have integrated farms in Obayantor in Benin, Okpe and Unemenekua in Akoko-Edo and Auchi. We are just starting another one in Ohiomwon, also in Benin.

“These farms are for production, processing and training centres. They are at various stages of development, but the ones in Obayantor, Okpe, Auchi and Unemenekua have been in production.

“And we have been selling the produce and generating revenue for the government,” he said.

(NAN)