Bad roads cut off farmers, students in FCT communities

Residents of several rural communities in the Abaji Area Council of the FCT—including Gulida, Nasarawa, Kpago Chakumi, Kwakwa, Laifiya Yaba, Gurdi, and Adagba—have flayed the deplorable state of their roads. Our reporter, who visited the community, reports that the deplorable roads often cut off farmers from moving their produce to the market as well as […]

Residents of several rural communities in the Abaji Area Council of the FCT—including Gulida, Nasarawa, Kpago Chakumi, Kwakwa, Laifiya Yaba, Gurdi, and Adagba—have flayed the deplorable state of their roads.

Our reporter, who visited the community, reports that the deplorable roads often cut off farmers from moving their produce to the market as well as students and teachers from accessing their schools during the rainy season.

They are appealing to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to intervene and rehabilitate the aging infrastructure.

During the visit by the reporter on Monday, residents explained that the road linking Gulid By Abubakar Sadiq Isah

The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, has announced the elevation of the Kwali traditional stool from Second Class to First Class status.

Wike made the announcement on Monday during his ongoing “thank you” tour in Kwali.

The visit was organized to appreciate local stakeholders for supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s candidates in the recently concluded February 21, 2026, chairmanship election.

According to the minister, the upgrade follows the unconditional support of the Etsu of Kwali, HRH Luka Nizasan Ayedo (III), for the President’s administration, as well as a formal request by the newly elected chairman of the coun-cil, Nuhu Daniel.

“Let me say that your traditional ruler told me previously that you were going to support Mr. President, and we have seen that commitment. Therefore, by the powers conferred on me, I hereby upgrade his stool to first class,” Wike de-clared.

He added, “Mr. President will always be with you and provide the necessary support.”

The minister also informed the gathering that the traditional ruler would receive a befitting palace.

He expressed his gratitude to the people of the council for fulfilling their promise to support the administration’s candidates during the polls.

Earlier, the Etsu of Kwali, HRH Luka Nizasan Ayedo, thanked the Minister for his visit, describing the tour across the six area councils as “unprecedented.”

a to Yaba has been in a state of disrepair for years, causing untold hardship.

They noted that the route is a vital artery connecting neighboring communities like Gwomani, Tungan-Guli, and Damakusa in the Kwali Area Council.

Rehabilitating the road, they argued, would significantly boost socio-economic activities in the region.

Abdullahi Usman, a resident of Gulida, told our reporter that the road becomes nearly impassable during the rainy season.

He explained that villagers often have to organise communal labour to perform minor repairs just to keep the path functional.

“During the rainy season, you can’t even access most of the villages by motorcycle because of the mud and the rising streams,” Usman said.

Adamu Gwatana, a farmer from Nasarawa, described the road as a “nightmare” for peasant farmers trying to get produce to markets in Kwali or Abaji.

To bypass the road, Gwatana often resorts to expensive and labour-intensive alternatives.

“During my harvest late last year, I had to hire women to carry my yams to the riverbank, then use a canoe to cross the Gurara River before finally loading them into a pickup van for the Abaji market,” he said, adding that “If the road were accessible, I wouldn’t have to go through all that extra cost.”

The connectivity issues extend to education as well. Ishaku Saleh, a retired school teacher from Adagba, noted that the bad roads prevent teachers and supervisors from reaching rural schools.

“Many rural schools become deserted because it’s so difficult for pupils and teachers to get there,” Saleh explained. “If the road from Yaba to Gulida were in good condition, a teacher posted from Abaji could reach their school without this level of stress.”

Madaki Dangana, a community leader, emphasized that the area is a hub for timber, charcoal, and agricultural produce.

He urged the Abaji Area Council to coordinate with the FCT Administration to award a rehabilitation contract.

“Improving this road won’t just bring relief to the villagers; it will boost revenue for the Area Council because of the volume of goods being transported to the city,” Dangana added.

When contacted, an aide to the council chairman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said most of the mentioned roads are beyond the council’s authority, but added that the chairman has alerted the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on the need to fix some rural roads in the area.