100-yr-old FCT community appeals for basic amenities

Residents of Kurege community in the Alu/Mamagi Ward in Abaji Area Council of the FCT have cried out over lack of social amenities in the area since the community was founded over 100 years ago. The residents said they survived only “through the hand of God”, lamenting that the viable amenities meant to impact their […]

Residents of Kurege community in the Alu/Mamagi Ward in Abaji Area Council of the FCT have cried out over lack of social amenities in the area since the community was founded over 100 years ago.

The residents said they survived only “through the hand of God”, lamenting that the viable amenities meant to impact their lives: pipe-borne water, schools, health centres, electricity, etc., had been neglected by successive administrations.

 

A century of neglect

The Village Head of Kurege, Ayuba Musa, corroborated the claims, saying that no government project had been commissioned in the community in its over 100-year history, noting that no elected official had ever visited to ascertain the challenges facing his subjects.

Musa said, “My people still trek to Chapu to cast their votes during every election, yet successive governments have failed to prioritise our needs.

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“The only thing I can remember is that the present administration provided two pieces of solar lights which were mounted a month ago.”

He appealed to the leadership of the area council under Alhaji Abubakar Umar Abdullahi to provide viable amenities so that the residents could finally feel the “dividends of democracy”.

 

Education, water crises

An elder, Mr. Thomas Danjuma, explained that children trekked two kilometres to the neighbouring Chapu community to attend school.

He said, “The worst part is that whenever it rains, there is no school. The nature of the road and the flooding of streams make it impossible for the children to cross.”

He also lamented the lack of potable water, saying women trekked long distances to the Gurara River, and added, “Even then, the water is unhygienic. Our wives have to boil it and use alum before we drink it to avoid outbreaks of diarrhoea and cholera.”

 

Health, maternity struggles

Another elder, Emma Shilani, said, “Pregnant women are hit the hardest. They have to climb motorcycles to reach Chapu or Alu for antenatal care. These same pregnant women still have to trek to the Gurara River to fetch water for domestic use.”

 

Economic hardship

Gwatana Samson, a farmer, complained about the deplorable state of the road linking Kurege to neighbouring villages, describing the road as a “nightmare” that had caused significant damage to agricultural produce.

He said, “Pickup trucks hardly come into the community to transport produce to the market because of the roads. When you do find a driver, they charge exorbitant rates. In many cases, our crops are simply left to rot.”

Reacting to the complaints, the Chief of Staff to the Council Chairman, Mohammed Kandi, said a delegation, including the Supervisory Councilor for Works, recently visited the community to meet with leaders and assess their needs.

He disclosed that the construction of a clinic and the provision of pipe-borne water had been captured in the council’s budget for the coming year.

He further said, “The council provided and mounted two solar lights in the community just a few weeks ago. This shows that the present administration prioritises the needs of the people.”