Bauchi-Kano road: Commuters lives at peril

However, since the country has no effective alternative transport system like the railways, average people would have to travel by road. The Bauchi to Kano road is an offshoot of the Kano to Maiduguri road being dualised since the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration remains a mirage. Arguably, Bauchi to Kano is the second busiest road linking […]

However, since the country has no effective alternative transport system like the railways, average people would have to travel by road. The Bauchi to Kano road is an offshoot of the Kano to Maiduguri road being dualised since the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration remains a mirage. Arguably, Bauchi to Kano is the second busiest road linking the insurgence-wrecked north-eastern Nigeria with its north-western counterpart.
Travellers particularly from Bauchi rely heavily on the road for their daily business transits. Perhaps, this is because it is the only road that connects them with the commercial hub of northern Nigeria-Kano. As such, the socio-economic relevance of this road to people of Bauchi, and by extension to the north easterners cannot be overstated.
In spite of the significance of the road, it has been neglected. Its commuters apparently make perilous, or to say the least, adventurous journey; not only because of the pervasive presence of potholes in the road, but also the near-sunder nature of the road around Ningi Local Government Area– approximately 100km away from Bauchi metropolis.
It is obvious that the deplorable road started degrading since two years ago, but has been neglected.
It could be argued that the road is a “federal road” which calls to question the viability of the and functionality of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), since it is the government agency saddled with the responsibility of maintaining all federal roads across the nation.
However, considering the vitality of the road, the state Governor Mohammed Abubakar ought to see to the rehabilitation of the road as a matter of urgency before it totally collapses.

Aminu Adamu Naganye is a 400 level student from department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano
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