By Williams Ago, Gombe
Alhaji Hamma Musa Waja, the District Head of Dalawaja in Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State, has voiced the growing frustration of his community regarding the deteriorating road that connects them to the outside world.
Dalawaja holds a special place in history as the original settlement of the Waja people before they expanded to other areas of Gombe State and beyond. Despite this rich heritage, the community has long struggled with the severe decay of the only road linking them to neighboring towns and services.
The community is proud to have produced notable figures, including the first university graduate from the Tangle/Waja region (now part of Gombe South Senatorial Zone) and a former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, among other distinguished individuals.
Alhaji Waja revealed that he recently constituted a special committee made up of prominent sons and daughters from both home and abroad to tackle the road challenge. He lamented that heavy rains often trap residents indoors for days, severely hindering their economic activities and overall quality of life.
The District Head’s personal experience, having to trek six kilometres just to attend an official invitation, encapsulates the daily hardships faced by the people of Dalawaja due to this neglected infrastructure.
In an interview with our Correspondent shortly after meeting with the committee, Alhaji Musa regrettably explained that their children stop going to school outside the community whenever it rains because of the inaccessibility of the road.
"We have only one junior secondary school and two primary schools in the community and whenever it rains, hundreds of our children attending senior secondary schools in Talasse, the LGA headquarters, stop going to school for days.
"It has also affected our farmers too. Recently two trucks loaded with cotton were stucked on their way out. It also took a very long time before they were evacuated.
"Whenever it rains and my attention is needed in Talasse or Gombe, the State capital, I have to trek over six kilometres to meet up with my appointments because even motorcycles can not ply the road. Other times I trek to Talasse and sleep before continuing with my journey," he lamented.
The royal father who explained how the community had been making annual communal efforts to put remedial repairs on the road, appealed to the State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, to fulfill his promise of constructing the road the people described as their number one priority.
He also appealed to the Federal Government and well meaning individuals to come to the aid of the community considering its economic viability as the hub of cotton farming in the State.
The district head also explained that because of the difficult terrain and how hard it is to reach Dalawaja community, it will require enormous resources to fix the road and the community can't do it alone.
No fewer than five bridges and, or culverts will need to be constructed on the about six or seven kilometres road.
0 comments:
Post a Comment