Volunteer graduate traffic warden, others take over Ungwan Dosa, Kaduna

Adamu Ibrahim, a 31-year-old graduate of the Department of Marketing, Kaduna Polytechnic, is one of such youths. Rather than engage in social vices, he decided to contribute his own quota to the development of his community and the country in general by engaging in community service. Speaking with Sunday Trust at his duty post on […]

Adamu Ibrahim, a 31-year-old graduate of the Department of Marketing, Kaduna Polytechnic, is one of such youths. Rather than engage in social vices, he decided to contribute his own quota to the development of his community and the country in general by engaging in community service.
Speaking with Sunday Trust at his duty post on College Road, he said, “I decided to help because I was born in this community some 31 years ago. And since I graduated in 2011, I have not been able to secure a job; but with this community service, a lot of people will pray for me. Who knows what doors will open?”
On why he and some other youths decided to embark on the community service, Ibrahim said, “We saw that the traffic gridlock in Ungwan Dosa area was becoming very worrisome. People will be stuck on the road for several hours. So the youth in the area decided to mobilise ourselves to embark on this Good Samaritan job – controlling traffic to allow the free flow of vehicles plying the road. We decided to do it because anyone who helps other people will surely get a reward for the good deed. We thank God that residents of the area are giving us their 100 per cent support. They are always ready to give a helping hand.
“Before we came in to save the situation, a lot of people living on the College Road, especially the Legislative Quarters, had started selling their houses and relocating to other areas in the state. We want a situation where anyone coming from work will get home on time without having to pass through a long line of vehicles caused by gridlock.
“In the morning hours we pay more attention to the inner part of the road, starting from Karayi Road junction because of the number of vehicles that engage in school and office runs. If the road is not properly coordinated, one might get stuck, and at the end, the children will go to school late and workers will also be late for work. In the evening, when people are coming back home from work, we pay more attention to the outer part of the road, starting from the location of VIP barbers because that is where the gridlock starts from.
“It is usually very difficult for tricycle and small bus operators during the gridlock. Because of this, they cannot make the 10 trips they ought to make in a day. They make only two trips. But they are also part of the problem because they always want to shunt and be faster than the other road users. In the end, they succeed in making matters worse.
“However, we thank God that they have started understanding that they should follow due process. Anyone that shunts the line is detained for at least 40 minutes before he is allowed to join the line. That has brought some sanity into the system.
“It is not only the responsibility of leaders to do the right thing; it has to start from us. We have to do the right thing so that there will be development. We want other areas in the state such as Rafin Guza and Kawo to emulate what we are doing. Now, a lot of people from Kawo prefer to go through Ungwan Dosa to their destinations.
“There are a lot of influential people living at the innermost part of the area, popularly called Legislative Quarters. Those that were selling their houses due to the gridlock will begin to have a second thought since they can see that we are trying to ease the suffering of commuters. Ungwan Dosa is now peaceful. The youth in the area are doing everything in their capacity to entrench peace. Violence hardly spreads to our area. We have the backing of our local imams and traditional rulers, as well as the divisional police officer of Kawo,’’ Ibrahim said.
He called on the state government to look into the plight of the residents of the area and expand the road. He said, “This road is too narrow for the number of vehicles that ply it on a daily basis. We need a more accessible road.”
Asked how they are funded, he said, “Our colleague volunteered to buy 10 sets of traffic kits. It is one of the kits that I am wearing. Nobody is paying us a dime to do this work; the only benefit is the prayers that people normally say for us when they are passing through the road. And majority of us controlling the traffic are jobless. We just hang around the road, and immediately the gridlock starts we put on our kits and start working.”
He, however, added that despite their success story, there are still challenges. “In the past we had crisis with the small buses that are stationed at the beginning of College Road, popularly called Signboard. Some drivers among them were being difficult to handle. But fortunately, at the end, they realised their mistakes and everything is back to normal. They now know that what we are doing is more to their own advantage than other roads users.
“Also, some of the tricycle operators are very stubborn. When they come to a place they say whatever they want to say without considering the fact that they are insulting people.
“We base our operation on discipline. Anyone who has morals knows that he is not supposed to fight with people anywhere he goes. When you come in contact with people, the first thing you do is to study them so that you do not say something that will hurt their feelings. We ensure that our members don’t insult road users.
“I want to implore motorists to follow the rules and regulations of the road so that that there will be free flow of traffic. There is the need for them to always be patient as they will only spend a little time before moving.
“We neither discriminate nor give preference to familiar faces. Even if there is a sick person in a vehicle, the driver should be patient because that is the only way to get to his/her destination quickly. The truth is that when one person breaks the rule, others will follow.
“We are doing this work for the sake of Allah and our community. We are not asking for anything from anyone except that they should respect themselves and follow the rules and regulations of the road.
“Before now, vehicles on both sides of the road would be on standstill and commuters would be on the road for an average of 1hour. But today, with the help of members of the community, the gridlock has reduced by 80 per cent. Now, the longest you will be on the road is 20 minutes.”
Speaking to Sunday Trust, a resident of the area who gave his name as Ibrahim Tukur, commended the efforts of the youth, saying they are offering a great sacrifice for the overall development of the community.
“I have lived in this area for the past 20 years and this road has been our major challenge. I thank God for these young and agile men who have taken it upon themselves to ensure that there is free flow of traffic in the area.”