NewsNigeriaRural DevelopmentChigari, Adamawa Rural Communities Decry Deplorable Roads, Lack of Potable Water

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By Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz, Regional Correspondent

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Rural dwellers in Chigari, and Beti farming communities of Fufore Local Government Area, Adamawa state on Sunday decried the deplorable state of their roads and the lack of potable water in their communities, calling on the Fintiri’s led PDP administration to come to their aid.

The rural dwellers voiced their concerns on Sunday in Chigari town, while fielding questions from a team of investigative journalists who were in the area to assess challenges being faced in rural communities.

Photo:- Hon. Danladi Marafa, one of the community leaders (WAP Photo credit)

Mr Danladi Marafa, one of the community leaders, said that the bad state of the roads was of particularly concern to them.

“As you noticed while coming to our areas, the roads are horrible and there is no drinking water, but we are particularly worried about the roads because we cannot develop and improve our living standards if we cannot move from one point to another.

‘’ We have been talking about the deplorable roads for over 10 years, but all to no avail.

 “There are also lots of dangers in consuming bad water; there are a lot of diseases associated with that, but we do not have much choice,” Marafa , a former councilor  from Beti-Chigari ward, said.

He said that the people were mostly farmers, noting that farm produce would not reach the right markets if there were no good roads.

Marafa urged elected and appointed representatives of the area to reach out to the government and draw its attention to the situation.

‘’ We are prevailing on them to reach to the state governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to come to our plight.

‘’ Though, some of these elected representatives don’t heed to our calls; don’t listen to rural people like us, forgetting that they are representing us.

‘’ Some of us don’t even care to pick our phone-calls, and time shall tell! We are waiting for them comes 2023

The former councilor also emphasized the need to upgrade the only Dispensary clinic in Chigari town, to ease access to quality healthcare services.

Mr Musa Abubakar , a commercial -driver, also bemoans  the state of rural roads in the area, which he claim is ‘’pathetic.’’

He said, for years, roads in Chigari and its environs, have been in a state of complete disrepair, making intra-community transportation a near impossible task.

‘’ I can vividly recall that the past administration of Murtala Nyako awarded a contract for the construction of this Chigari 11 kilometres.

‘’ But since then, no progress has been recorded; we are neglected by the past administrations, so we are now calling on Governor Fintiri not to abandon us! ‘’ He pleaded.

Muhammad Tukur is a local businessman-(WAP-Photo credit)

In his words, Muhammad Tukur, a businessman who deals in farm produce, said one of the major challenges facing the rural people is how to move their farm produce to the market.

Tukur told the visiting investigative reporters that “Roads hold the key to social and economic lives of the people.  I have over 15 years’ experience doing business of buying and selling farm produce from the hinterlands and I can tell you that the access road remains a major challenge to our people,” he said.

He recalled that the last time rural communities enjoyed some level of respite in the area of access roads was the days of the defunct Directorate of Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DIFRRI).

‘Since then, every successful government at all levels has paid little or no attention to rural roads.

‘’The bad roads have badly affected the economy of the rural communities, as goods cannot be moved easily to the urban cities,’’ said he.

Investigations revealed that Fufore has the largest land mass and the highest number of rural roads in the state.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak to the council’s chairman proved abortive as he was said to have traveled to the state capital.

It could be recalled here that the state government has proposed the sum of N16.2 billion for urban and rural road projects in the 2021 fiscal year.

Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri during the presentation of the 2021 budget at the state House of Assembly said that the importance of good road networks in the economic development of the state could not be overemphasized.

“The present outcry of our people for improved road networks in the urban centres and link roads in rural areas to facilitate easy movement of both human and farm produce is justified.

“Government will invest substantially in maintaining and upgrading the standard of the roads in 2021. “To make a significant intervention in this sub-sector, the government has proposed to spend N16,002 billion on urban and rural roads,” he said.

According to him, the government has carried out the construction of some new urban roads and flyovers to urbanise the city in the year.

Mr. Musa Abubakar, a commercial -driver, also bemoans the state of rural roads in the area, which he claim is ‘’pathetic.’’

He said that the government also made some progress in the rehabilitation of some road networks in Jimeta, Yola, Jada, Numan, Hong, MIchika, Madagali and other Local Government Areas of the state.

 Fintiri stated that the ongoing projects, when completed, would ease traffic congestion and beautify the state capital.

In 2013, some collaboration between the World Bank and French Development Agency (AFD) gave birth to the Rural Access Mobility Projects (RAMP) in some selected states, including Adamawa, and gradually, rural roads are being rebuilt in some states.

The RAMP has as its components, the upgrading and rehabilitation of rural transport infrastructure, community-based road maintenance and annual mechanized maintenance, projects management and strengthening of state and federal road sector institutional, policy and regulatory framework.

Ibrahim Abdul' Aziz (Correspondent)
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