The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), Andrew Mamedu, has cautioned Nigerians not to associate lack of amenities to rural communities across the country.
Mamedu said rural communities in other countries have the basic amenities and they still keep them as rural communities but questioned why there are wrong perspective about rural communities in Nigeria.
Mamedu noted this during a community visit to Tungan Ashere in Abuja, adding that being in the rural communities is not synonymous with lack of amenities.
He called on government at all levels, particularly the states governments to invest more on rural amenities.
“We have to force accountability, if politicians are not held accountable, things will continue to persist like lack of amenities ,” he said.
He further explained that the Board and General Assembly members embarked on the community visit to engage directly with residents and gain firsthand insight into their lived realities.
He said the visit will shed light on community experiences around access to basic services, livelihood challenges, and ongoing social interventions.
He said in recent months, Nigerians have experienced heightened economic distress, rising cost of living, and shrinking civic space, making it critical for development actors and civil society to remain responsive and vocal.
Also speaking, the Deputy Country Director of ActionAid, Suweba Muhammad said the take home from the assessment is the fact that they have seen sustainability in the community through some of the projects that started over 15 years ago and was initiated by ActionAid.
Also, Disability Representative of ActionAid Nigeria, Dolapo Agbede said she identifies as a blind woman and it has been a pleasure to come to the community.
” What has been my best bit? You know, we went into the ICT center, and the story of how they moved from a petrol generator to using recharging renewable energy and now to clean energy.
“This community is doing something about climate change, contributing to it in a way that some people are not even thinking about.
“Some residents were given laptops that teaches them on how to use the Microsoft Suite and CorelDRAW, and they are connected to the Internet. The younger people also have the tablets,” she said.