In Dnako, residents take responsibility for social amenities

Dnako residents learnt their lesson not to rely on the government for amenities the hard way. Few years ago, the only borehole in the community, located in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, was faulty. After several letters and visitations to the area council authorities for the repair of the borehole were unsuccessful, they went back to […]

Dnako residents learnt their lesson not to rely on the government for amenities the hard way. Few years ago, the only borehole in the community, located in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, was faulty. After several letters and visitations to the area council authorities for the repair of the borehole were unsuccessful, they went back to using stream water.
 “After all, we were used to drinking water from the stream before the borehole was donated,” Danladi Caleb, a resident and secretary of the youth committee, told Aso Chronicle.
 Time passed and there was no response from the government; hence the people continued drinking from their unhygienic source of water.
 Then the unexpected happened, “many people started stooling and vomiting,” Alaalu Nicholas, a former financial secretary of the youth committee in the community said, adding, “It was then that it dawned on the residents that we had waited for the government too long.’’
Caleb corroborated, “It is not all things that the government can do for you. Government officials follow many processes; if we wait for them we will not get the development we desire,”
 According to him, having learnt their lesson, the community has been able to dig a borehole, buy a land used as football field in the community’s primary school and raised fund for the repair of the transformer which broke down.
 With about 500 residents, the community’s population is relatively small, but the feats they have recorded speak volumes.
Explaining how they achieved these feats, Caleb said, “The community has a committee among the youth that comes up with developmental ideas,”
 The committee performs an advisory role and ensures that the community’s needs are met without the involvement of the government. 
The residents attributed their success story to the influence of Turai Yar’adua. They said the former first lady facilitated development in the community before the demise of her husband. 
 “Nobody cried more than us when we learnt about the death of the former president. If he were alive, our community would have been a paradise,” Caleb said.
 He said the former first lady had set up a committee to see to the fulfilment of her promise when she visited the community.
 “She gave us clothes, money and many things. Even this light we now have is because of her. And the road would have been completed if she were still the first lady,” Nicholas said, adding that their hopes were dashed following the demise of the former president, Umaru Musa Yar’adua.  
 Caleb Danladi further said that the village has been in total darkness since August 2014 when the transformer broke down. The over N500, 000 raised by the community could not liberate them from the darkness.
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 “It has been repaired again, but we learnt that it remains the transformer oil to make it work. Some of the poles holding the cables are down already and we have reported that to the service station in Bwari,” he said.
 The village head, Chief Yilda Garba, said coordinating the affairs of the community was easy because of the cooperation and deep sense of responsibility of residents and visitors.
 He called on government to provide a hospital and good road for the community, adding, “We also need a secondary school. We have been going to the area council for this, but there is no response yet.
 “Last year, we met and came up with the idea of raising fund to take care of some of the needs of the community. We invited people within the community and outside. During the event, we were able to raise some fund used in tackling some of the challenges. The fund was not enough, but it is a good start.’’
 Speaking further, Nicholas Alaalu said the youth also raised money by engaging in menial jobs like gathering sand from erosion-prone areas and selling to construction companies.
“When the money comes we use it to develop the community,” he said.
 Caleb added that there was no need for the community to depend on the government because they will be disappointed.
“We know the kind of government we have, and the truth is that we are the government. We believe we can try our best. We are the government here in the community; the chief is the head of the government,” he said.
 The residents linked the success of the community to the presence of clergymen.
 “Our people in government withdrew and went into missionary activities. We now have about eight pastors in this community,” he said, adding that residents now benefit from their wealth of experience.
 The village head called on government to do everything possible to restore electricity in the community and provide other essential amenities.