Erosion destroys houses, roads in Potiskum

Residents of Makara Huta-Masakar Makafi in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State have experienced the devastating impacts of erosion as many houses and roads have collapsed.  The Makara Huta-Masakar Makafi-Jigawa and Garin Jaji Road in Potiskum used to be a resting place for herders and rearers of livestock where they drank water and sleep […]

Residents of Makara Huta-Masakar Makafi in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State have experienced the devastating impacts of erosion as many houses and roads have collapsed. 

The Makara Huta-Masakar Makafi-Jigawa and Garin Jaji Road in Potiskum used to be a resting place for herders and rearers of livestock where they drank water and sleep before proceeding to their journey down south but the road has been eroded.

It was gathered that the erosion has so far claimed the lives of two persons, destroyed more than 10 houses while several others are on the verge of collapsing.

The Chairman of Concerned Committee and Stakeholders on the Erosion in the area, Mallam Hussaini Ahmed Kabono, who spoke to Daily Trust urged federal, state, and local governments to do the needful to salvage the situation before they lose their lives.

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‘‘On behalf of the people of this ward, we are appealing to Yobe state as well as the federal government and all other stakeholders; from our members of state assembly to the Senators to come to our aid because this thing is devastating the ward. Because what we are seeing here now, one day it will send us away from the ward.

‘‘We wrote a letter to the federal and state governments and we also forwarded the letter to our member of the state house of assembly and senator yet nothing is done to address this issue. People are losing their houses almost annually and children are dying in the water pool seasonally,’’ he lamented

Daily Trust gathered that besides killing children and destroying houses, the students from Federal Government Girls College and Fika Government Secondary School were cut off by the erosion,.

‘‘Some students even sleep at home because Keke Napep tricycle owners refused to carry them due to the poor access road to their schools,’’ Alhaji Hassan Sabo, elder statesman said.

 ‘‘Many houses have collapsed due to the impact of the flood. Many houses were washed on both sides the gully created by the erosion,’’ he added

Ahmed Balde, a retired civil servant who was also a Secretary to the Concerned Committee of the Community, debunked the circulated information that they build their houses on waterways, saying it’s the water that finds them in the places they live.

According to him, most of them inherited their houses from their ancestors adding that nothing like building on waterways as claimed by unpatriotic residents in the Potiskum community.

‘‘In the olden days, this waterway was not there, it was a road for cattle drivers called Gainakos who drove their cattle on foot from Maiduguri to Jos and beyond up to the southern part of the country. Thus,  this road was found suitable for the establishment a cattle resting place as well as a treatment point called Hausa, Kara.

‘‘This road is the only one that can be followed from the Police Signal Barrack to Federal Government College, Potiskum. This signifies that Potiskum is completely blocked in the middle without this road been rehabilitated’’ he said     

Our correspondent spoke to a resident,  Samaila Hassan, a who expressed fears that, perhaps, an uncountable number of houses would be destroyed as the weather forecast has predicted  flooding in some LGAs in Yobe in the next 10 days.

‘‘This erosion in previous years affected only one site but now, on both sides large portions of soil are keep sliding in, forcing some residents to flee to other locations in Potiskum where some are staying in rented houses while others are staying with their relatives.

‘‘We have been doing embankment to stop water from coming to the safest areas yet our efforts have been fruitless. We are begging all relevant stakeholders to come to our aid we have exhausted our efforts and we need government intervention,’’ he said.

When contacted, Ahmed Adamu , Sarkin Adon Potiskum, a member of house of  assembly representing Potiskum Central Constituency on the matter said although members of the community have not provided a letter of complaint to him since he assumed office he is fully aware of the situation.  

‘‘Honestly speaking since I assumed office this year I did not receive their complaint officially. But I knew the situation because my house was there before. I too was affected by this disaster. 

‘‘Indeed I knew that they wrote a letter of complaint on this disaster even before I was elected. I took this letter of this people to our Senator, Ibrahim Muhammad Bomai, in Abuja  and I presented it to him  but till now there is no any response from him.

‘‘I followed our traditional and religious leaders, especially the Emir of Fika to intervene in this project, looking at how this disaster destroyed houses in the community yet no any response from there,” he explained.

Daily Trust learned that dwellers of Kwari, Batayya, and near Kano Road Bridge at Potiskum town were facing similar challenges.

Efforts to speak with the Senator  Bomai were unsuccessful as he neither responded to calls nor a text message sent to him.