FCT Residents Appeal to Nyesom Wike for Urgent Road Rehabilitation

Residents from the Gumanyi, Jigba, and Agweh communities within the Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have urgently appealed for the intervention of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike regarding the severe deterioration of their local roads.

According to Abuja Metro's reporting on Sunday, community members stated that the road linking Agweh and Jigba to Gwargwada has been neglected and fallen into a state of disrepair for more than 20 years. This vital route, which also provides access to Sabo in Kuje town, has reportedly been overlooked by successive local government administrations.

Local farmers are particularly affected, describing the road as a "nightmare." The poor condition of the road makes it extremely difficult to transport agricultural produce to markets in Kuje and Abaji. The route, which serves seven villages, is often impassable during the rainy season due to its rough surface and the absence of bridges over local streams.

"During the rainy season, none of the villagers from these seven communities can travel out, let alone transport farm produce to the market," one resident, Danlami Musa, explained. He added that a properly rehabilitated road would serve as a crucial bypass, offering residents in Rubochi and Gwargwada easier access to Kuje town and the FCT's city center.

Yakubu Bamaiyi, another community member, highlighted that the road has not undergone any form of government grading in two decades. He spoke of the immense hardship faced by subsistence farmers whose crops often spoil because vehicles cannot reach their farms. To mitigate these issues, Bamaiyi noted that villagers often pool resources to repair the worst sections of the road during harvest seasons to facilitate transport to nearby towns like Abaji or Rubochi, though reaching Kuje town remains a significant challenge due to unbridged rivers.

Joshua Markus, a farmer from Jigba, recounted a personal experience where a substantial harvest of bananas and plantains perished last year because he could not find a driver willing to navigate the road. He eventually had to hire women to carry the produce on their shoulders for a considerable distance before a vehicle could be accessed.

The Agabe of Ugbada-Gwargwada, HRH Alhaji Hussaini Agabi Mam, has also lent his voice to the call for immediate action from the FCT Administration. He believes that constructing bridges and rehabilitating the road would significantly stimulate economic activities in the region. The monarch suggested that such improvements could attract civil servants working in Garki but residing in Abaji to use this route, as it offers a more direct path to the city center compared to the current longer route via Gwagwalada.

Expressing admiration for Minister Nyesom Wike's infrastructure development efforts, the Agabe appealed for his assistance. "We have a workaholic minister in Wike, who has been opening up several rural roads across the FCT. I am appealing to him to intervene and link up the Gwargwada-Jigba-Gumanyi road to boost our socio-economic life," he stated.

An official from the local council indicated that the community's request regarding the road has been forwarded to the FCT Administration for prompt attention.