Residents of Cajaah Estate, Orozo in the Federal Capital Territory have resorted to self-help to rehabilitate the deplorable road linking the estate to the Treasury Academy Road on the Nyanya-Karshi road following what they described as repeated failure by relevant authorities to address the condition of the road.
The residents said several appeals had been made to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, as well as the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu for the road to be rehabilitated, but their pleas have yet to yield the desired result. The development has forced the residents to mobilise themselves and contribute financially towards making the road passable.
The Chairman of Cajaah Estate, Kenneth Eigbedion, who spoke with our correspondent, said residents had been going through severe hardship as a result of the deplorable condition of the road.
According to him, the road has deteriorated to such an extent that motorists are compelled to navigate deep potholes and damaged portions, particularly during the rainy season.
Eigbedion explained that the residents had made several efforts to attract the attention of the authorities, including the AMAC administration, but those efforts did not produce any concrete intervention.
He recalled that during the last Area Council elections, residents mobilised support for the AMAC Chairman, with the expectation that he would reciprocate by helping to address the deteriorating road after returning to office.
However, Eigbedion said the residents’ expectation had not been met, alleging that the road had remained largely neglected since the chairman returned to office.
“Since the Minister and the AMAC Chairman have both abandoned us, we have had no option but to resort to self-help,” Eigbedion said.
He disclosed that residents are now personally contributing funds to commence repairs on the road and bring it to a manageable condition.
The estate chairman lamented that the deplorable road had also taken a heavy toll on residents’ vehicles, with motorists frequently forced to visit mechanics for repairs.
He said the constant damage to vehicles had added significantly to the financial burden of families living in the estate, apart from the inconvenience and safety concerns associated with using the road.
Eigbedion, however, said the residents were not asking the government to abandon its responsibility, stressing that their current intervention was only a temporary self-help measure aimed at easing the hardship faced by residents.
He expressed hope that the FCT Minister and the AMAC Chairman would eventually respond to the plight of the residents and undertake comprehensive rehabilitation of the road.
The residents’ intervention underscores the growing reliance on community-driven initiatives to address infrastructure challenges in parts of the FCT, even as they continue to appeal to the relevant government authorities to provide a permanent solution to the road problem.
