Arabo, Governor Yero and the Bakin-Kogi – Kamaru Road

The Chawai community, with a sizeable number of other tribes like Ikulu, Kachechere, Irigwe and Kataf, constitute more than half of the about 350,000 people in the local government, according to the 2006 census. Its people are mostly agrarian, producting  sugar cane, rice, beans, yam, cocoa, yam, among many others.The people work very hard, but […]

The Chawai community, with a sizeable number of other tribes like Ikulu, Kachechere, Irigwe and Kataf, constitute more than half of the about 350,000 people in the local government, according to the 2006 census. Its people are mostly agrarian, producting  sugar cane, rice, beans, yam, cocoa, yam, among many others.
The people work very hard, but still cannot get the most out of their efforts, simply because of lack of access road.
Over the years, they have had to rely on canoes and other local crapts to cross over River Kiffin, a tributary of river Kaduna that runs through the entire chiefdom, to the main roads in Bakin-Kogi. And as expected, that has often led to loss of many lives.
With the people unable to cross the rivers, many farm produce, mostly tomatoes, yam, groundnuts and water melons perish, as the farmers are unable to move them.
Where some quantities are moved to Bakin Kogi market or Kwall market, in the neighbouring Bassa Local Government of Plateau State, more than half is wasted while the little that gets to the market is disposed of at give-away prices.
For Rep Simon Arabo, it was therefore not a surprise that the main cry of the people, throughout his electioneering campaigns in 2010 and 2011, was a road to connect the people with the outside world.
From Zambina to Kamaru, and right up to Ikulu, Fari, Ungwan-Kaya and Chori, the cries were the same: “please go there and struggle for a road for us.”
With the elections over and victory achieved, Arabo says that he has indeed tried to meet this dream of getting a road to open up the Chawai chiefdom, improve the peoples’ living standards and minimize the suffering of this largely rural dwellers.
The quest has seen him severally visiting the Kaduna Government House, the state ministry of works as well as the Kaduna House of Assembly, toward ensuring that the road project was captured among projects to be executed in the state budget in the last three years.
The effortsed appear to have yielded the desired fruits as the state government was reported to have approved an initial grading of the road with laterite, preparatory to a final construction of the 25 kilometre road.
“I am happy to let you know that government has approved the grading of the road; that is the starting point,” Arabo told newsmen recently.
He said that the first stage would ensure the grading of the main route and the construction of culverts over little streams on its path.
The House of Representatives member thanked Governor Ramallan Yero for the efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people and promised to keep the handlers of the job on their toes until the job was carried out.
Not surprisingly, the cheery news has enveloped the entire Chawai chiefdom and the people are already celebrating while awaiting the wonders from Governor Yero.
“Even if that is the only thing the governor can ever do for us, we shall remain eternally grateful,” Mr Bala Kofa, former councillor of Pari Ward, said in a reaction to the road project.
He said that the bad road had been a constant source of concern for his people and prayed that it would be promptly graded, preparatory to its being fully constructed.
Mr Malachy Ndan, the Village Head of Ikulu, who also spoke on the development, appealed to the governor to take a personal interest on the road project to demonstrate his commitment to opening up the rural settlements so that development would flourish and reach them.
“Government says it wants to encourage farming and keep youths busy, so the only way to enhance that is to open up the rural areas so that farm produce can reach the outside market and enable the farmers to reap the benefits of their labour,” Ndan said. Arabo is optimistic about not only that road, but so many others where work is already on-going in the local government.
One project after his heart is the Kwassam – Geshere that is being executed at the cost of N4 billion.
“We took special interest in the execution of that road project and found that the job was beyond the capacity of the contractor.
“Last month, Governor Ramallan Yero inspected the work and agreed with us that the quantun of work involved was beyond the handlers. He was deeply disappointed and resolved to give the job to a more competent firm,” Arabo said.
Arabo suggested that elected and appointed representatives of the area be involved in the award of such projects to ensure that the right people were selected, while the representatives would consistently keep the handlers on their toes toward timely completion and ensuring that quality was not compromised.
Also of concern to Arabo is the Kigudu – Kusheka road, whose construction would also open up a mass area populated by people that had always been left out of the scheme of things.
The member has also initiated scholarships for thousands of students, while women and other youths have benefited from poverty alleviation and empowerment schemes involving the distribution of sewing machines, motorcycles, tricyles (Keke-Napep), and direct financial support to establish own business.
“I benefited from other people’s kindness and should be ready to assist others as much as I can,” Arabo says.       
As the people of Chawai anxiously await the grading of the road that has been their main headache from time, many keep praying that the governor, Arabo and all concerned shall never relent until this dream is realised and the area is freed from the fatalistic torture that the horrible road has been, to their lives.
Sheyin, from Ikulu-Fari, can be reached on 07037561399