Literature

Bad roads: Bassa community cries out to Kogi Gov

One of the broken bridges

Infrastructural development is central to every other aspect of development. For a nation to make any meaningful progress, either politically, economically or otherwise, infrastructure such as road and electricity must be available and in serviceable condition. But unfortunately, this is the area of development that has eluded many Nigerians. And this is why in spite of government?s efforts at addressing the rising poverty especially at the grassroots through programmes like the National Poverty Eradication Programme and Youth Empowerment Scheme, poverty continues to grow in leaps and bounds amidst abundant resources yearning to be tapped.

Bassa Local Government Area of Kogi State is a typical example of what can become of an area and its people when it is neglected for too long in terms of infrastructure. The local government, created in 1976, has remained more like a Development Area due to lack of essential facilities that would help in harnessing the vast agro-economic potential of the area. Out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria, Bassa is the only local government that was connected to the national grid as late as last month. And it is the local government headquarters alone (Oguma) that is covered by the belated power supply.

The worst part of the area?s underdevelopment is the road network. The roads are not only deplorable but are death traps. The Oguma-Ikende-Abejukolo road, which is a major road that passes through the local government and links the area with neighbouring towns and villages, is simply not there. What is left is a stretch of overgrown narrow passage full of potholes, broken bridges and partly eaten up by gullies.

Some members of the community, who spoke to this report when he visited the area recently, decried the state of the road and called on Governor Idris Wada to come to their aid.

Hon. Sunday Shigaba, the member representing Bassa constituency in Kogi State House of Assembly, simply described the road as a nightmare that ?gives me sleepless nights?. According to him, farmers could no longer transport their farm produce to the markets due to the nature of the road; a development he said was very unhealthy for his people whom he described as ?very hard working?. He lamented that the local government has remained the only area in the state that has not witnessed any meaningful development in the last thirty years.

Similarly, the chairman of the local government, Malam Umar Maigida Ibrahim, has described the road as an eyesore and a stumbling block to the economic development of the area. He said within his short time of being in office, he has constructed a befitting local government secretariat and linked Oguma to the national grid, but added that without good roads the impact of his achievements would not be fully felt.

Another political figure in the area, Malam Musa Jibrin Maihankuri, also bemoaned the state of the roads, saying the road is a death trap. ?There is no other way to describe it; the road is a death trap to the people of Bassa Local Government, particularly the people of Bassa Kwomu District.?

Maihankuri, who is a former councillor and currently a Special Adviser to the governor, observed that since the creation of the local government 37 years ago, ?the road has been in this terrible condition?. According to him, ?No government has deemed it necessary to address the matter. They only use it as a campaign strategy to win the people?s votes, after which they turn away. The immediate past governor, Ibrahim Idris, promised to do it but he didn?t touch it throughout his eight years in office. The present governor, Idris Wada, has also promised; we hope he will redeem the promise this time.?

On what the political elites of the area have been doing to address the situation, Maihankuri said, ?They have been calling on government through the media. All the members of House of Assembly, right from the time we were still in Benue State, have been making efforts to call government?s attention to the road.?

Shigaba said as part of the struggle, he has presented bills on the floor of the House on the matter, adding that he would continue to lobby for the construction of the road with the hope that Wada?s administration would fulfil their age-long dream.

The chairman is also banking on the state government for the way out since, according to him, the road, which is state-owned, cannot be constructed by the local government alone because of the huge financial involvement. ?Work on that road is estimated to gulp over 4 billion naira. No local government can do that job alone,? he said.

He recounted how he managed to embark on building Odenyi-Oguma road (another major road in the area) with the help of the state government, and stressed that with the state government?s support, the Oguma-Ikende-Abejukolo road and other people-oriented projects could be executed before the end of his tenure. ?So we are calling on the state government to partner with us to tackle the problem,? he appealed.

Shigaba also appealed to Governor Wada to use part of the twenty billion naira been accessed from the capital market to construct the road, stressing that the people of Bassa Kwomu District had suffered enough.

In his own plea, Maihankuri urged the governor to redeem his promise. ?The governor has been doing well for the people of the state particularly in terms of construction of roads. We are calling on him to pay attention to the road,? he said.

Well, Captain Idris Wada is said to be a listening governor; it is hoped that these appeals will not fall on deaf ears as it had always been the case in the past. It is important that the governor harkens to the cry of the people this time around because such a prolonged neglect is a serious embarrassment to the state government and a slap on democracy. No true democratic leader would allow such a shameful injustice to persist when he has the power and means to stop it.

My car, damaged by the road

- Summary Of The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost
One day, the poet Robert Frost, travelling all alone, reaches a point where the road forks into two. He faces a dilemma as to which road to take to continue his journey. He is unable to decide which road to follow. He pauses for a long time. He gives...

- Sacrifice
It was this time last year they demolished our home, leaving us to wither away like broken twigs. They said it was for development; development needed a breathing space to germinate. Now we are being visited again. It is the local government chairman...

- Niger State: The Making Of A Literary Capital
Once upon a time the area known today as Niger State was famous mainly for its strategic position as a major railway station that drew together people from diverse ethnic groups. But the literary revolution, which began with Abubakar Imam?s legendary...

- Niger Holds The First National Literary Colloquium In Grand Style
Chief Servant receiving letter of appreciation (in which the Writers' Village is named after him) from Gimba ...

- Maku As A Sign Of Hope
Mr. Labaran Maku?s appointment as the Minister of State for Information and Communication could be seen as a result of his eloquent past achievements and a sign of better days ahead for him and the Nigerian youth in general. For, he is an embodiment...

Literature