Accessing Chitimu and Yimi in Zuba in Gwagwalada Area Council is a very difficult task due to the deplorable road that leads to both communities.
The road which is supposed to connect the residents of these communities to civilisation has an uncompleted bridge which has a deep gully on one of its portions. The people said the construction was abandoned about four years ago leading to the deepening of the gully every rainy season.
Some residents said they rarely had opportunity to do business or go to work on a rainy day until water on the flooded bridge receded to the barest minimum.
A resident of Ikwua, Evans Welder, whose business place is close to the abandoned bridge, said the state of the road was becoming worrisome. He explained that it was even more serious during the rainy season because going out of the house was always a problem.
“On a serious rainy day we have to stay back until the water recedes to the stage where people can pass. There were times it swept people away but fortunately they were rescued,” he said.
Welder said the management of a secondary school in the community had started work on the road but that someone came and said the land belonged to him and that stalled the process thereby leading to continuous deterioration of the road.
“Businesses cease during the rainy season because it is difficult for people to come in or go out of this place. Our customers from outside don’t come here when the rains start. It is as bad as that,” he said.
Therefore, Welder enjoined government to intervene, adding that the area was a peaceful place but that people were packing out due to the state of the road.
A youth leader in the area, Nurudeeen Siraju, said some people extorted them by claiming to be filling the roads once in a while.
“You can see how bad the road is. Vehicles break down easily. If rain falls, we stay back in our houses, or if we must go out, we take the other road which is longer,” he said.
He expressed anger at the community’s leadership, saying that they didn’t press forward their demand when they met with the authorities, but that they were only concerned with what they would gain.
Siraju said the deplorable road kept affecting their businesses.
“We need serious help on the issue of the road. Electricity supply is also a major challenge here. The government should come to our rescue. They should not only come during electioneering campaign with promises because when they do, this time we will not attend to them. They have fooled us enough and we are wiser now,” he said.
Another resident, Moses Gabriel, said the bridge had caused a lot of problems for his business, adding that some of his customers could not come; thereby making him rent another shop at the Zuba market.
“The rent has cost me a lot. Sometimes cars get stuck there for days and most times we have to resort to motorcycles to convey us and our goods, which is very expensive,” he said.
He added that although they had a vigilante group on ground because the road was bad for the police to come in, they had never had any case of robbery. He said despite the issue of security in the country, the community was secured and that they were living in peace with non-indigenes.
At Chitimu, residents lamented lack of necessary infrastructure. The community head of Chitimu, Muhammad Ibrahim, was absent at the time our reporter visited, but his secretary, Muhammad Lima, outlined some social amenities needed in the community. He, before then, lamented on their condition and how they were coping.
“The water we use is bad. The only source of water here is the stream,” he said.
He pointed at a structure which was meant to be a borehole which was sunk by the MDGs, but that the machine to draw up water was stolen.
Although the nearest police stations to them are at Gwagwalada and Zuba, he said they relied on the vigilante group in securing the community.
He said, “We have our own vigilante group; that is why we don’t have robbery and other issues of security breach here.”
He also mentioned poor condition of the road leading to Chitimu as a challenge the community had been battling with for years. He said gaining access to the community became more difficult during the rainy season.
“The access road to the community is nothing to write home about. It is worse during the rainy season thereby making it difficult to take our farm produce to the bigger markets in the town,” he said.
Although the community can boast of a public health centre, it is still lacking in so many areas. Basic facilities such as water, light and drugs are not available.
He added that electricity was a no go area as locals seemed contented with lanterns, and those that could afford it went for generators.
Lima said the electric poles that were supposed to bring light to Chitimu stopped in a neigbouring community.
One of the youths, Iliyasu Isa, who spoke to our reporter, said, the poor access road was a major challenge to them because they were farmers and could not transport their produce to the market.
He said if the road was fixed there would be development in the community and that they would also be able to get their farm produce to the markets and not leave them to waste.
Isa added that the issue of potable water had to be looked into by government, explaining that the only source of water had been from the same stream cattle drank from.
“If you see the colour of the water, you cannot do anything with it, but we have to drink it and use it to cook since we have no alternative,” he said.
The borehole tank close to the chief’s house was said to have been donated by one of their illustrious sons, but that it was out of use.
