Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secret Reporters
For residents of Phase 1 in the Jikwoyi area of Abuja, it is that season of the year again when they have to grasp the untold suffering being orchestrated by the dilapidated state of the only road that connects the area to other parts of the suburb.
The recent rains have seen the road, which has been left untarred since the creation of the area, become a death trap, making it difficult for vehicles to pass.
This dilapidated condition of the road has led to a sharp increase in the prices of fares as commuters, especially motorcycle riders, have resorted to demanding exorbitant amounts before risking the road.
Some residents in the area who spoke to SecretReporters, bemoaned the deteriorating state of the road while calling on the government, especially the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike to come to their aid.
They noted that the situation has become an annual issue for them during the rainy season. According to them, all efforts to have the government come to their aid have proven abortive as successive administrations and relevant authorities have been making promises without fulfillment.
A resident in the area, Joseph Agbi, did not hold back in his lamentations while speaking to this online media. “I have been here for about six years now and this has been our situation over the years. Once the rains begin to fall, this road becomes unmotorable, and this is the only road that links us to the major road.
“We are suffering a lot in this place. Just look at the road. How do you expect people to pass? This suffering is too much, and it is an annual thing. These days, I dread going out because every now and then, you see bikes slip and fall, and when it happens like that, if you’re lucky not to be injured, your clothes will be stained in the mud.”
He called on the leadership of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to “do something about the situation of the road,” stressing that “we can’t continue like this.”
Another resident, a landlord, who simply identified himself as Williams, decried the condition of the road and sued for an urgent government intervention. Having been resident in the area for over ten years, Williams said the road is usually bad during the rainy season, “a period we dread so much in this area.”
He lamented that all efforts to have the relevant authorities get the road tarred have yielded no positive results. “We have written to AMAC and even the FCT minister in the past, but no result. Just recently, before the last FCT senator was voted out, they came and even graded the road. We were happy that finally, this annual problem would be over, but they never came back to do the road after the election”.
“Just look at the road; it is an eyesore. It is a death trap. Imagine an area like this that houses both the elites and the middle class with this kind of road; how do you expect people to go about their normal businesses? This is just so sad,” he said.
In his remark, Augustine, a resident in the area, said, “Many of us no longer go out with our cars because of the bad situation of the road.” Pointing at a section of the road, he said, “How do you expect a car to pass through this place?”.
“The effect of this road is telling grossly on us because you can’t be sure of what happens before you get to the junction; cars keep getting stuck, and bikes keep slipping. It is just a terrible situation,” he lamented.
“Should we turn to God to come and fix a road that is the duty of the government?” he asked rhetorically. He, however, called on the AMAC to come to their aid. “If this road is not tarred, we will still continue like this next year.”
