Residents of a community in Ningi local government of Bauchi State, Kudu-Yamma, decried years of neglect as residents continue to suffer due to deplorable conditions of road network that links surrounding villages with their local government headquarters.
Residents told WikkiTimes that despite their contribution to food security in the state through their agricultural activities, the community alongside its neighbouring villages have been abandoned by successive administrations in the state.
According to residents, Kudu-Yamma, a ward in Ningi, is blessed with abandoned natural resources, arable land and populated by diverse villages that share common problem.
It comprises many villages, which were all connected to the headquarters of Ningi town by a single poor road.
WikkiTimes learnt that the road which links the communities, begins in Gadar Maiwa and serves as the lifeline for all villages within the ward, stretching up to Ningi’s border with Toro LGA.
However, for many decades, residents of this areas have endured neglect from the government, particularly in construction or rehabilitation of road network.
The communities which comprises Makera, Rafin Ciyawa, Dogon Ruwa, Makanwa, Dando, Zakara, and Mekwangi, faces challenges due to annual flooding, which worsens the condition of the road.
According to residents, during the rainy season, the situation becomes dire, with lives often lost in medical emergencies as rivers overflow and block the road.
In response to this neglect, every year residents have resorted to organizing community efforts to rehabilitate the road themselves, in an efforts to ease the burden of navigating the dilapidated road.
Speaking during the community rehabilitation work, Malam Jibrin Makera, a resident of Makera village, explained, “We do this every year to make life a little easier for ourselves. We don’t know when this will end, but we hope the government eventually notices our struggle.”
Similarly, Malam Usman expressed similar dismay stating that communal labor is the only solution the people have known for long.
“During the rainy season, we limit our movement because of the road’s poor condition and the rivers that cut us off. It’s a life of uncertainty, especially in emergencies,” he said.
Sarkin Rafin Ciyawa, Malam Dahiru Isah, emphasized the ward’s agricultural contributions and its population, lamenting the lack of basic infrastructure.
He expressed his disappointment, saying, “We don’t know when this hardship will become a thing of the past. For now, we mobilize the villages, so we are at road for community rehabilitation. We have been doing this work for decades.”
In his remarks, Sarkin Pawa Dogon Ruwa also decried over the apathy of politicians toward the plight of the communities living in the area.
Despite the population and resources of Kudu Yamma, he noted that the area continues to suffer neglect.
“We have population producing resealable number of votes during elections, as a result politicians are roaming and concern to win votes during elections, unfortunately, after they won, we will not see them or anything from them,” he noted.
He called on the state government and political representatives to come to their rescue. ” I hope that one day, the government will address our community’s concerns, even if it happens after our time.”
