Infrastructure deficit: Abuja community heads table case to FCTA
By Daniel Tyokua
Some community heads in the Federal Capital Territory have drew the attention of FCT Administration and political office holders to the infrastructure deficit in their respective areas.
The community leaders of four communities in Abuja Municipal, Kwali, Bwari and Kuje Area Councils identified poor health care, water, education, land grabbing and forced eviction as key areas that need urgent attention.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Yusuf Shuaibu and Aisha Mohammed of Leleyi Gwari community in Kwali Area council, said getting medical attention in the area remain a challenge for the residents.
They explained that patients at the community travel kilometre to neighbouring communities to access healthcare, according to them, the available PHC is poorly equipped with the physical condition in a deplorable state.
“The PHC in Leleyi Gwari was constructed in year 2009, is almost collapsing as the walls of the health care are badly cracked with the walls moving against each other, it is the same with Mabushi PHC in AMAC”.
In Kuje, the youth leader Nuhu Joseph, said the children must trek long distances before they get to school, leaving them tired and exhausted to learn.
“None of our community has a secondary school, the few distant primary schools lack basic learning facilities such as tables, desks and chairs and mostly importantly not enough teachers.
“In these period of insecurity, parents are afraid leaving their children to trek several mile to neighbouring communities when they cannot afford to pay motorcycle riders to transport their children to school and bring them back.
“We at Rije have experienced attempt to kidnap our children on the way to school. In Mabushi community; we have lost some of our school children to road crashed as they attempt to cross the ever busy road. Therefore, there is need for the FCT Administration to establish schools close to our communities and the provision of safety measures in Schools to guarantee the safety and security of school children”.
Ayuba Abdullahi from Mabushi in AMAC, on behalf of others urged Area Council chairmen and Lawmakers including political office holders to ensure that they fulfill their campaign promises.
They informed them that they were better informed presently than the past, therefore they said gone are the days of allowing politicians to come into power without signing a social contract.
The four select communities in four area Councils are the first places where Hipcity Innovation Centre, an NGO that is working with communities in Abuja to improve the well-being of the people, so far reached for the awareness on engaging their elected office holders to provide dividends of democracy.
