Tortuous ride to Biu

Another commuter Joseph Emos rhetorically described the road as the “worst in Nigeria despite its social, historical and economic importance.”A recent trip by this reporter from Damaturu to Biu confirmed that even though the road may not be the worst in the country, it is arguably among the worst category of ten and may conveniently […]

Another commuter Joseph Emos rhetorically described the road as the “worst in Nigeria despite its social, historical and economic importance.”A recent trip by this reporter from Damaturu to Biu confirmed that even though the road may not be the worst in the country, it is arguably among the worst category of ten and may conveniently be the worst in the north east after Gombe-Yola road which many see as a death trap.

The journey equally confirmed the apprehension and pains of many people including travellers, drivers and residents of the areas.

From available record, the over 120km road which was constructed in the early 1970s  was never improved or repaired despite several promises by politicians around the areas who always cajole the votes of electorates with a promise to completely overhaul the road.

The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) had in 2008 started minor patch work between Damaturu and Gujba but all the workers had since disappeared from the terrible scene with little improvement to show.

A senior government official in the ministry of works in Yobe State said though the state government sympathised with its thousands of people living along Gujba, Buni, Yadi and Gulani areas, it may not be possible for the government to intervene at this time.

“The project is capital intensive but we have been appealing to the federal government to upgrade it”, the official said.

The journey that should last for just little above one hour now takes an average of three hours because even rugged vehicles must have to move with caution in order to avoid countless man-height potholes.

Many drivers interviewed lamented that they had to visit mechanical workshops rather “unceremoniously” whenever they ply the road. “You must either buy a new tyre or change the shock absorbers regularly…it is basic”, Muhtar, a truck driver said.

Kanem Trust observed that because of the bad shape of the road, most of the commercial vehicles in the route were rickety  with many meant for conveying goods now carrying both animals and people.

“What can we do? We have to enter the back of the pickup vans in order to get to the hospital in time, if not, we may not likely meet the doctor who comes only twice a week”, Martha Ali, a 35 year old pregnant woman told this writer who saw her in the back of a pickup van on her way to Azaren Yobe.    

In parts of Borno State, the situation is worse because many potions have been washed away by flood and gully erosion as motorists must move to the eroding shoulders in order to avoid running into ditches.

Residents of Buratai and Miringa villages said government should endeavour to repair the road so that they could have value to their farm produce.

“We feed millions of people with rice, maize, guinea corn and cows from our farms but bad road has made our great advantage a liability with  increasing  difficulties”, Bunu Ali, a resident of Miringa observed.

He said the road which belonged to the federal government was now an eye sore. “Worse of all is that we are forced to sell our produce at a give away price because dealers are no  longer interested in taking the risk of coming here with heavy truck to buy the goods in bulk”, he said.

Bunu said if government would improve the condition of the road, life would be easier for the people and also called for the provision of other basic privileges of life such as schools, hospitals and water.

A 42 year old Jonathan who has been voluntarily filling potholes in the route for the last 10 years said his intervention was not for making profit but for community service.

“I always feel pain to see cars collapsing with many passengers on board when they fall into a ditch. That is why I resolved to always come out in the morning to mend the patches with Laterite….it is strictly with the intention of saving lives”, he said.

He said he would be willing to return to his farm when ever government decided to rebuild the road in order to revamp the abundant potentials of the people and their vast fertile lands.

For now, Jonathan feeds his wife and five children from the stipends he gets from willing drivers who appreciated his community service initiative which he does round the year as his strength depreciates every now and then.

It really seems that more Jonathans have so much work to do because rehabilitation may not come in the nearest future  as the road appear to have been forgotten by Nigeria’s governments  and what that means is that more people risk being killed in events of accidents, armed robbers have chances of having free operations due to the compulsory-slow-downs while the value of more and more vehicles is bound to depreciate far below manufacturers estimates and beyond all, the situation is that of suffering continues unless the federal government rises to its responsibility of fixing all federal roads, a task that is for now, only a jingle in the promotion of the FG’s seven point agenda.