Farming Communities in FCT Call for Assistance to Repair Poor Roads

Residents of Gbatemi, Jamigbe, Gasakpa I, and Gasakpa II—farming communities located in the Gawu ward of Abaji Area Council within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)—have made a request to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for assistance in the repair of rural roads in their area.

During a visit by Abuja Metro on Thursday, local farmers expressed their frustrations over the deteriorated road conditions that connect them to Gawu village, a situation they described as their primary obstacle for many years.

They highlighted that the inadequate roads make it extremely difficult to transport their produce to markets in Gawu and Lambata, a nearby town in Niger State that borders the FCT.

Yakubu Ibrahim, a farmer from the locality, noted that the situation exacerbates during the rainy season, when many streams become impassable, effectively isolating the communities from the rest of the territory.

“Farmers end up losing their harvests due to the lack of access roads. We implore the FCT Administration to repair these roads so that rural residents can benefit from government infrastructure,” Ibrahim stated.

He added, “We recognize the impressive work that Minister Wike is carrying out in the city center and certain rural areas. We are respectfully asking him to extend those efforts to us, as access roads stand as the main challenge for people in rural areas.”

The village chief of Gasakpa I, HRH Abdullahi Dangama, reiterated these concerns, pointing out that while the community is filled with diligent farmers, they face significant challenges due to limited market access.

He mentioned that every dry season, he organizes local youths to manually repair the most severely damaged sections of the road.

“On your way here, you might have observed young men trying to repair one of the streams so that vehicles can reach us to transport our produce—especially yams, our primary crop,” the traditional leader noted.

HRH Dangama criticized past area council administrations for neglecting rural roads, particularly those adjacent to Niger State. “To tell you the truth, we do not feel the presence of the government here. The state of the road leading to Gasakpa is a clear indication—there are no signs of government involvement. None at all,” he remarked.

In addition to the infrastructure issues, HRH Dangama expressed worries about the LEA Primary School in the village.

He pointed out that although the school is well-furnished, it suffers from a severe lack of teachers for its 134 pupils and urgently needs building renovations to provide a proper learning environment.

A representative from the Works Department of the Council, who chose to remain anonymous, stated that the road project exceeds the financial capacity of the council. However, he confirmed that the council chairman has submitted a formal request for the project to the appropriate FCT agencies.