Communities protest absence of crossing, turning points on Abuja-Kaduna highway

Various communities along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, spanning the FCT and Niger State, have demanded the installation of crossing points on the section of the road currently under construction. Abuja Metro reports that residents, including women and children, are facing significant hardships while attempting to cross the dual carriageway due to the new barriers. Abdullateef Shotunde, […]

Various communities along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, spanning the FCT and Niger State, have demanded the installation of crossing points on the section of the road currently under construction.

Abuja Metro reports that residents, including women and children, are facing significant hardships while attempting to cross the dual carriageway due to the new barriers.

Abdullateef Shotunde, a resident of Madalla in Niger State, told Abuja Metro yesterday that the community has submitted a formal letter of complaint to the construction firm.

The letter demands the provision of pedestrian bridges and barrier crossing points to ease movement.

According to Shotunde, the letter was delivered on Monday to the site engineer overseeing that section of the project.

Elizabeth Joseph, another local resident, lamented the specific difficulties women face.

She noted that navigating the barriers to access markets or board commercial vehicles has become a grueling daily struggle.

The situation reached a breaking point in Zuba, an FCT community neighboring Madalla, where local youths staged a protest on Tuesday.

Usman Haruna, a youth leader who led the protesters (including water vendors), noted that visitors and market women are struggling to reach the popular Zuba fruit market.

The barrier has also caused a sharp spike in the cost of living, particularly regarding water supply.

Abuja Metro gathered that the price for a truck of 10 jerry cans has jumped from N1,000 to N3,000, as many vendors have stopped operating in the area due to the lack of access points.

The District Head of Zuma community in Zuba, Alhaji Kasimu Muhammad, disclosed that he has submitted three letters of complaint to the construction company, all of which initially went unaddressed.

“As a result, the youth in Zuba organized a peaceful protest on Tuesday demanding pedestrian bridges and U-turn points for vehicles,” Muhammad stated.

He added, “Currently, there is only a single U-turn point serving the entire area, located far away in Tunga-Maje. We have complained repeatedly, but the youth only resorted to protest after receiving no response.”

Following the protest, the company reportedly promised to provide three pedestrian crossing points within Zuba. However, they asked for patience regarding vehicle U-turns, claiming that the Ministry of Works must approve them because they were not included in the original project design.

Efforts to obtain an official statement from the construction company representative on-site were unsuccessful.

The representative declined to comment, stating he was not authorized to speak to the press.