For about 18 years, residents of Bomalan Jidda have endured a deadly erosion that continuously washed away their regular and only route connecting them to other townlets.
Times without numbers, the residents said, they had reached out to the Gombe State Government to help mitigate the erosion, but it appears their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Frustrated by the government’s negligence, the residents resorted to fundraising, tasking each other to construct a bridge.
Habibu Lawandi, a resident of the community told WikkiTimes they lost the courage to keep begging the government, hence, they decided to help themselves.
“We established a committee that went from door to door soliciting for financial contributions,” he revealed. “On Fridays, we stood by the gully because it is a regular route for our residents. Everyone contributed from the little they had because we were all desperate.”
Within eight months, they were able to gather enough money and started constructing the bridge.
As of the time WikkiTimes visited the site, the bridge could be seen under construction.
According to residents, things get compounded during rainy seasons as residents and passersby are forced to desert the water-logged route.
Lawandi continued: “Many of our siblings have missed school and exams because of this place. In times of emergency, one has to resort to first aid until the rain stops and the water drenches after hours. There is no nearby route apart from this one.
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“About four times, people drowned and died during heavy rainfall. The last one was in 2018. My neighbour lost his child while she was returning from school.”
For several years, gullies have remained one of the severe environmental problems in Gombe, threatening its urban infrastructure, lives, property and physical growth.
WikkiTimes reached out to the state ministry of works and transport, but the special adviser to the controller, Imran Hamza could not comment on the issue.
