FCT communities urge Wike to construct bridge over River Gurara

Residents of the Gulida, Radin-Daji, Unguwar-Yunusa, and Chakumi riverine communities in the Abaji Area Council of the FCT have appealed to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to construct a bridge across the River Gurara. Speaking to Abuja Metro at the riverbank in Gulida on Friday, residents lamented that the absence of a bridge has been […]

Residents of the Gulida, Radin-Daji, Unguwar-Yunusa, and Chakumi riverine communities in the Abaji Area Council of the FCT have appealed to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to construct a bridge across the River Gurara.

Speaking to Abuja Metro at the riverbank in Gulida on Friday, residents lamented that the absence of a bridge has been a major challenge for decades. They described the situation as a “nightmare,” particularly for farmers who must transport harvests to markets in Abaji and neighboring Kwali.

Community members emphasized that a bridge would significantly boost social and economic activities between the riverine settlements and neighboring villages bordering the Abaji and Kwali area councils.

The farmers’ struggle

A local farmer, Yakubu Aliyu, explained the logistical difficulties of getting produce to market. “I have to hire women to carry harvests on their shoulders to the riverbank before loading them into a canoe to cross. It is an exhausting process,” he said.

Aliyu noted that during previous seasons, he sometimes hired pickup trucks to drive through Gulu in Niger State to reach Kwali—a detour that significantly increased his costs.

“With the current drop in crop prices, I couldn’t afford the truck detour this year,” Aliyu added. “I had to rely on my family and hired help to move yams by canoe first, then meet a pickup on the other side in Kwali.”

Another resident, Ibrahim Gimba, highlighted the risks involved in daily travel.

To reach Abaji or Kwali for business, he must either load his motorcycle into a wooden canoe or take the long route through Niger State.

“The situation worsens during the rainy season when the river overflows,” Gimba said. “The water level rises, and since I don’t have a life jacket, entering the canoe feels dangerous. Sometimes I am forced to take the long road through Gulu, which is a massive distance.”

Gimba expressed hope that the Minister’s current infrastructure drive would reach them. “We see the work Nyesom Wike is doing in the satellite towns and rural communities. If a bridge is built here, it would link villages across the Abaji, Kwali, and Gwagwalada Area Councils.”

Audu Sheneni, a community leader, pointed out the irony of the situation during election cycles.

He noted that although 85% of the inhabitants are peasant farmers struggling with access, politicians also face the same hurdles when seeking votes.

“During the last Area Council election, politicians had to board canoes to reach us for campaigns,” Sheneni remarked. “We believe that once a bridge is built, the risk of crossing the river by canoe will become history.”

Sheneni commended the Minister’s progress in other satellite towns and urged the Chairman of Abaji Area Council, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Abdullahi, to liaise with the FCT Administration to bring the project to fruition.

At the riverbank, a canoe driver, Musa Gwatana, shared the current costs of crossing.

He charges N200 per person and N500 for a passenger with a motorcycle. While Gwatana built his wooden canoe to help residents navigate the challenge, he agreed that a permanent bridge is the only sustainable solution for the farmers and traders of the region.