Fogbe residents want road rehabilitated

Residents of Fogbe, community in Ashara ward of Kwali Area Council in the FCT have expressed concern over the deplorable state of the road that links them with neighbouring Kamadi community. The residents want the road rehabilitated, especially at this peak of rainy season, to ease passage. They complained that erosion has degraded some portions […]

Residents of Fogbe, community in Ashara ward of Kwali Area Council in the FCT have expressed concern over the deplorable state of the road that links them with neighbouring Kamadi community.

The residents want the road rehabilitated, especially at this peak of rainy season, to ease passage.

They complained that erosion has degraded some portions of the road.

Aso Chronicle learnt that the inhabitants, who are mostly farmers and are of Bassa ethnicity, want the road repair to be made top priority.

Speaking to our reporter at his palace on Saturday, the chief of Fogbe, Yakubu B. Mohammed, said the deplorable state of the road has become a nightmare to him and a source of concern to his people.

He said his people are always cut off from other communities at the peak of rainy season every year. He said vehicles hardly ply the road after heavy down pour, adding that erosion usually wash away portions of the road.

“Farmers are worst hit as they find it difficult to transport their farm produce to the market in Kwali or Abaji town,” he said.

He said the road has continued to suffer neglect by successive governments since it was first graded during the first tenure of the present chairman of Kwali Area Council, Mr. Joseph K. Shazin’s administration.

He said farming is the major occupation of his people, especially with varieties such as, beniseed, sorghum, rice, millet, maize, yam and cassava, but access to good road network has been a major challenge.

He said about 12 communities, Pesele, Takuro, Riwaza, Golo, Kuka, Baswani, Awayi, Gongo, Tatari, Fogberetu, Kuturu and Anguwar Kwako, depend on the road.

He said all inhabitants of these communities are all peasant farmers and their economy is affected negatively by the deplorable state of the road.

“All these villages I have mentioned are under Fogbe chiefdom and the only access road where farmers transport their crops to the market either to Kwali or Abaji, is threatened by erosion. We are about to be cut-off completely especially between July and August,” he said.

He added that despite Bassa are the main indigenes of the community whose occupation is farming, there are other tribes such as Mada, Ogoja and Tiv, who are also into large farming scale. 

He said he has summoned all village chiefs of the 12 villages  for meeting in order to see how they join hands to fix the road. He however said their effort alone will not be enough, saying they want a permanent solution to the problem.

He explained that Fogbe community is leading  in the cultivation of beniseed  saying 80 per cent of the beniseed produced in Kwali come from the community. 

The traditional ruler also said the farmers find it difficult to access fertilizers and other farm inputs.

“If you see any farmer applying fertilizer on his farm, just go and inquire from him, you will discover that such farmer bought from the black market at an exorbitant rate, while none of the farmers have access to government fertilizer,” he said.

He further said it was sad that his people always come out in their large numbers to cast votes on every election, but they are far from having access to social amenities.

Chief Mohammed complained that lack of additional boreholes to complement the existing one is a big challenge for his people, saying some residents trek to the stream to fetch water.

He added that lack of a Junior Secondary School (JSS) at the community to enable parents enroll their children was another challenge, saying children always travel on motorcycle to Kwaita to attend school and return home after closing hour, which he said was incovenient for the children and it was expensive for the parents.

He appealed to the authorities of the Kwali Area Council to liaise with the management of the Universal Basic Education (UBEB) to establish a junior secondary school at the community.  

The traditional ruler further complained over lack of standard health centre at the community, saying patients are always conveyed on motorcycle to Kwali General Hospital for medical attention; even as he said the health centre at the community has no drugs.

“Apart from lack of enough health personnel, whenever drugs are prescribed for patients, they have to give money to some of these Okada riders to go to either Kwaita or Kwali to get such drugs. And “my fear is that what if an emergency situation arises,” he asked.  

Mohammed further appealed to the authorities of the council to intensify efforts in building a standard health centre at the community and sinking of two additional boreholes to complement the existing one in order to reduce pressure.

When contacted, the chairman, Kwali Area Council, Shazin, said the council was not unaware of the deplorable state of the road from Kamadi down to Fogbe.

He said the council has already provided for the grading of the road, construction of box culverts and social amenities in the council’s 2017 budget. 

“I believe if we can grade the Kamadi –Fogbe road during my first tenure, we should be able to do it this time around, despite the financial challenge we have been facing since we assumed office a year ago, we shall try our best to ensure that we grade that road,” he said.