FCT locals seek intervention on 20-year-old road

Residents of the Gumanyi, Jigba, and Agweh communities in the Kuje Area Council of the FCT have expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of their roads, appealing to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to intervene. Speaking to Abuja Metro on Sunday, several residents noted that the road linking Agweh and Jigba to Gwargwada has been […]

Residents of the Gumanyi, Jigba, and Agweh communities in the Kuje Area Council of the FCT have expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of their roads, appealing to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to intervene.

Speaking to Abuja Metro on Sunday, several residents noted that the road linking Agweh and Jigba to Gwargwada has been in a state of decay for over 20 years.

 They lamented that the route, which also connects to Sabo in Kuje town, has been consistently abandoned by successive council administrations.

A nightmare for farmers 

Danlami Musa, a resident of the Gumanyi community, described the road as a nightmare.

He explained that local farmers struggle to transport their produce to markets in Kuje or Abaji due to the deteriorating conditions.

The road, which he said, connects seven villages, is frequently cut off during the rainy season due to its poor surface and a lack of bridges over local streams.

“During the rainy season, none of the villagers from these seven communities can travel out, let alone transport farm produce to the market,” Musa said. 

He added that if rehabilitated, the Gumanyi-Jigba-Gwargwada road would serve as a vital bypass, allowing residents in Rubochi and Gwargwada easier access to Kuje town and the Abuja city center.

Another community member, Yakubu Bamaiyi, noted that the road has not even been graded by the government in two decades. 

He highlighted the untold hardship faced by peasant farmers whose crops often rot because vehicles cannot reach them.

“Elders and youth usually mobilize themselves during harvest periods to fix the worst portions of the road just to move crops to Abaji or Rubochi,” Bamaiyi said. “Even then, linking up to Kuje town is nearly impossible because of large rivers that lack bridges.”

Joshua Markus, a farmer in the Jigba community, shared a personal loss from the last harvest season. Despite a successful yield, he could not find a pickup driver willing to brave the road.

“Last year, I harvested a large quantity of bananas and plantains. Because I couldn’t get a vehicle, much of the produce perished. I eventually had to hire women to carry the plantains on their shoulders for nearly two kilometers before a pickup could reach them,” Markus recalled.

The Agabe of Ugbada-Gwargwada, HRH Alhaji Hussaini Agabi Mam, also joined the call for urgent intervention from the FCT Administration. 

He noted that bridge construction and road rehabilitation would significantly boost economic activity in the axis.

“If the FCT administration dualizes this road and constructs bridges, I am confident that civil servants working in Garki but residing in Abaji would prefer this route. It is a much shorter path to the city than passing through Gwagwalada,” the monarch said.

Acknowledging the infrastructure strides made by Minister Nyesom Wike, the Agabe appealed for his help. 

“We have a workaholic minister in Wike, who has been opening up several rural roads across the FCT. I am appealing to him to intervene and link up the Gwargwada-Jigba-Gumanyi road to boost our socio-economic life.”

Official of the council said the request on the road has been forwarded to the FCT Administration for urgent action.