By ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
Residents of Almohass, Martei dei, and Living spring school road leading to old kutunku in Gwagalada area council of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, has accused the area council for making the only not tarred road in the area no longer motorable, after selling some parts of the road to shop owners feigning expansion on the new road.
This ugly developments according to residents in the area had subjected the people of the area to undue hardships with motorbikes, pedestrians and motorist finding it difficult to access the road at this period of the rainy season.
According to some of the residents who lamented the negative consequences of ceasing part of the road to shop owners under the guise of opening it up, said machines were deployed to the new road for expansion as red laterite poured on the road had posed serious hazard, with contractors refusing to spread the laterite posing serious hazards to residents of the area and road users.
A resident Mallam Walid Yusuf wondered why the council authorities have decided to cut off residents of the area under the guise of opening up the road, saying they preferred the not tarred condition of the road before it was sold out.
“How can you just come and sell out a local road to shop owners only to render the residents to untold hardship without going ahead with spreading of the red laterites.”
Some residents claimed the situation was a nightmare, as pedestrians, motorbikes, motorists are finding it difficult to ply the road during the rainy season.
“Members of Martei dei Catholic Church and the new branch of Redeemed Christian Church God RCCG maintained that government had failed in the least provision of roads in the heart of Nigeria as one of the basic infrastructure.”
The current situation is wickedness and harrowing on the part of government and residents of the area in Gwagalada, as people resorted to trekking from their homes to link up other roads within Gwagalada and it’s environs.
A visit to the area confirmed the stretch from Sheik Hamdan Schools ,an Islamic Missionary secondary School located in the area to Old kutunku area ,was already in bad shape with red laterite poured on the road without properly laid for road users.
“Other parts of the road had been sold out to shop owners by the area council, and shops already built on the road, denying road users from diverting through the remaining portion of the road.”
Efforts to reach out to the council chairman , Alhaji Abu Giri and it’s officials was not successful, as the works department staffs are only interested in those buying plots for building of shops around the non- motorable road.
The situation was worsened by the bad condition of the linkage road through Gwagalada market, that was abandoned three years ago, after it was removed for rehabilitation by the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA.
Another efforts made at approaching the FCTA administration could not be successful, as staffs claimed it is only the Permanent Secretary or Ministers of FCT that can comment on the issue.
The case of Gwagalada area council is so pathetic particularly during the rainy season, as roads are rendered impassable by lack of construction and rehabilitation of the existing roads in the area.
They however appeal to the two ministers of FCT and the area council to resolve the issue of bad roads, so as to reduce the untold hardships being faced by residents of the area.
