Leading a group of development and financial experts on an examination of development process of Kwara State last year, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed conducted a study of actual infrastructural status in the state. The outcome is the identification of a state-wide infrastructural deficit that would require at least N300 billion to ameliorate.

Thus, as a way to correct the deficiency, the state government intends to establish the Kwara Infrastructure Development Fund to implement a modulated approach to meeting these infrastructure requirements. Within three years, government intends to bridge a third of the identified deficit through rapid development.

Some of the areas identified to be deficient in infrastructure are sports, agriculture, energy, health, education, water supply and ICT.

Furthermore, the state government says it will, in the first quarter of 2014, create 3,500 new jobs and midwife 2,000 new youth entrepreneurs through training and access to N200million in affordable revolving credit in an employment programme called Quick Win.

As highlighted in the 2014 financial year sectoral policies and programmes, the state government will facilitate the procurement and installation of 30 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) at strategic locations in Ilorin metropolis and environs to strengthen security.

In addition to the rehabilitation of existing police posts, the state government says five new police posts are to be established and equipped in selected local government area headquarters to enhance the safety of lives and property.

In the 2014 financial year, a total sum of N2.860 billion is proposed for rehabilitation of water supply programmes to effect easy access to potable water in such areas as secondary and tertiary reticulation in 15 major streets of Ilorin metropolis, completion of Ilorin water distribution pipe network project, rehabilitation of 16 waterworks and construction of new ones and sustenance of rural water supply programmes.

Recognizing the importance of quality healthcare delivery to the people, he said the state government would continue the rehabilitation of health facilities in order to make healthcare more accessible and affordable to people, especially in the rural communities. Thus, the government has effected the rehabilitation of five general hospitals. In addition to that, the government has also completed the construction and equipping of four comprehensive health centres.

Similarly, the rehabilitation of two primary health care centres has been completed just as the roll-back malaria programme is in place. The government has also established new HIV/AIDs centres and completed the rehabilitation of two eye clinics.

Delivering the proposed 2014 budget proposals in the State House of Assembly recently, Governor Ahmed said the appropriation bill represented his administration's strongest drive to rapidly transform the state, enhance the well-being of its people and, specifically, get a significant number of youths economically engaged.

The governor, who said that full implementation of the 2013 budget was constrained by lower than expected allocations from the Federation Account, added that despite these challenges, "we remain focused on prompt payment of staff salaries and allowances, funding of capital projects, and on meeting other obligations paramount to good governance.  

"Rather, we are achieving our developmental plans and fulfilling our covenant with the people through optimal resource utilization. Clearly, other challenges propel us towards high performance".

Speaking on the salient ones among the capital projects executed last year, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communications, Dr. Muideen Akorede, said such programmes and projects were aimed at repositioning agriculture with a view to improving food security and generating employment.

"In our determined effort to extend commercial agriculture across the state, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) were signed with some farmers. These include: Kohath Rice Company Limited, Green-Spring Vegetable Farm Limited (Tomato & Pepper Production), Jollofe Tomato Nigeria Limited (Tomato & Pepper production) and Thai Farm International Limited which has commenced land clearing at Shao for production of glucose from Cassava.

Dr. Akorede also said that in the outgoing fiscal year, farmers in the state benefitted from the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), which he said was designed to provide affordable input like fertilizers and hybrid seeds for increased productivity.

"GES co-funded by the federal and state government at a 50:50 ratio with 69,799 farmers benefiting from the scheme during the year."

Also, 462 fish farmers were each given 500 juvenile fish for free and five bags of fish feed at 50 per cent discount while 877 livestock farmers are expected to receive 30 bags of feed and four blocks of salt-lick each before the end of the year.  

Meanwhile, 60 youths graduated from the Fish Farming Centre, Ilorin while 99 youths graduated in Livestock and Crop Management from the Integrated Youth Farm Centre, Malete.

Furthermore, 30 hand-pump boreholes and 54 kilometres of roads were provided to rural communities participating in Community Based Agriculture and Rural Development Programme. Similarly, farmers under the Fadama 2 and 3 programmes benefitted from various productive assets and small-scale community infrastructure provided by these programmes during the 2013 fiscal year.      

In the area of works and transport, the governor's aide said that a sum of N8, 304, 406,423 was expended on the construction and rehabilitation of roads.

"Attention was focused on the 81 on-going and newly awarded state road projects with a total length of 449 kilometres. These projects are currently at various levels of completion.                            "Furthermore, government has completed 40 rural roads covering a total of 377 kilometres."

In addition, he said the state government is currently intervening on some federal roads which he said are crucial to people's well-being and beneficial to effective commerce. These include; Chikanda-Kosubosu Road and Patigi-Kpada Road.

In addition, the governor said work would soon commence on Kaiama-Kishi Road and Ilesha-Baruba-Gwanara-Okuta Road, the contracts for which had already been awarded.

"In the area of road maintenance, we have strengthened Kwara Road Maintenance Agency (KWARMA) with modern equipment and regular monthly subvention for road rehabilitation and maintenance.  During the year, the agency rehabilitated 114 roads across the state.  Similarly, the government has also supplied the Kwara Road Traffic Management Authority (KWARTMA) with modern equipment to ensure free flow of traffic on our roads."

On water supply, he said the policy thrust was to ensure that potable water was accessible within 500 meters radius for every resident in the state.  
"To this end, 13 water works were rehabilitated during the out-going fiscal year. These include Rogun, Megida, Ilesha-Baruba, Kaiama, Gwanara, Lafiagi, Afon, Ojoku, Agbeyangi, Pampo, Obbo-Aiyegunle, and Ajasse-Ipo. In addition, reconstruction work on Share/Tsaragi water scheme continued during the year."