From Jibrin Miachi, Kaduna
Residents of Badikko, a community in Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have expressed gratitude to Governor Nasiru Ahmed el-Rufai’s administration for remembering the area after years of neglect by successive governments, despite its vantage location.
This follows the on-going road network project in the area with a view to giving them sense of belonging. The community leaders, Alhaji Usman Sani and Chief Emmanuel Alley, Sarikin and Shamaki Badikko respectively stated this in an interview with our reporter.
Speaking in separate reactions, the two leaders described the road project as a dream realised and a thing of joy for them and their subjects who they said are immensely grateful to the government of Mallam Nasiru Ahmed el-Rufai.
They lamented that though the community hosts the seat of government among other institutions, Badikko lacks government presence in terms of developmental facility, particularly road infrastructure until now.
In his own reaction, the Sarikin Badikko, Alhaji Sani retorted: “For long, Badikko has been yearning for road but today we are seeing a development after many years of neglect.
“We are the host community of Government House; 44 Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, Comilla Barracks and of course Kaduna Polytechnic. With these, I think we deserve more than what we have in terms of development, if at all there is any.
“As you all know therefore, it is not an understatement to say that we have been yearning for development in Badikko for quite sometimes. However, after waiting patiently for years, we are beginning to see the realisation of our dream, courtesy of Governor el-Rufai.”
“It is a thing of joy for me and other residents of this community seeing Badikko having motorable road. We are therefore saying thank you to el-Rufai administration” stressing “I took time myself to go round to see things myself and I could see road networking within and around the Government house, Governor Road which are in Badikko where two roads are being worked on”.
“These include the major road that takes one to and from LEA primary if you are coming from governor road. That is Mamman Dawai. It is being rehabilitated and besides, Afamu road is being rehabilitated from one end to the other. For what we have seen taken place so far, we are grateful to God and Governor Nasiru el-Rufai. He deserves commendation from the people of Badikko”, Sarki Sani applauded.
Speaking further he said: “We hope and deserve to see more of this effort in Badikko before you leaves” arguing: “Since the return of democracy in 1999 when this government came into being, Badikko has never enjoyed any government project like this until now. Though Badikko is in Kaduna South local government area, what other places have been enjoying in terms of developmental projects uncountable times had never been extended to us by successive administrations. This is the first time in history I can say we are being remembered and attended to. We appreciate the present administration for its understanding.
“However, we are pleading with the present administration for more attention because we are the host community of the Government House and as such we deserve to get more dividends of democracy.
“We are a peace loving community. Irrespective of religion and ethnicity, we are living peacefully with ourselves and as such the people of Badikko, especially the youths, deserve commendation,” Alhaji Sani stressed.
Chief Emmanuel Alley, Shamaki Badikko in his own reactions, concurred that: “the road works in Badikko is something of joy” as according to him “the community had been without roads for a long time but now things are changing” noting “there are some jobs going on now and that makes us really happy” and prayed: “We just hope that it will continue because there are still areas they have not touched. I believe they are going to do that for us too.
“Apart from that, we also have the issue of water” lamenting that “for the last 20years, we don’t have pipe-born water here, and we depend on other sources”, consequently, “We are also hoping that something will happen along that direction too very soon. That is our expectation.
Believing that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”, Chief Alley disclosed that as a way of checkmating unhealthy development with telling effects on peace and stability, “we encourages and ensure our youths have something to do to get them occupied and they are doing that. With that advice, they are not loitering around.”
