By Sadam Mato Burra
A lack of decent road networks has drastically affected the livelihood of the people living in the southern Burra communities in Ningi Local Government Area, Bauchi State.
The people have to go through hell to reach health facilities or other basic needs due to disconnected routes, especially during the rainy season.
Places like Yadagungume, Tipchi, Tudu, Sabuwar Kaura, Limi, Kajala, Gamadoro and Kwangoro are about 30 to 40 kilometres away from their district headquarters.
The communities, however, are forced to go through Ningi before getting to Burra, a distance of close to 170 kilometres, due to broken bridges over rivers that connect their areas.
Dire Situation During Rainy Season
The situation becomes precarious during the rainy season, as river overflows do not allow the transportation of patients to hospitals, which often results in tragic losses of life.
Muhammad Ibrahim, resident of Yadagungume, lamented that the situation has continuously been getting from bad to worse. “Poor road network leaves many hopeless,” he said.
Ibrahim also noted the increase in commodity prices within the community, which has only worsened the socio-economic situation. He complained about broken political promises:
“We are tired of politicians distributing motorcycles, rice, and money. What we want to see are capital projects that will genuinely transform our lives. They lie to us because they never implement any of their promises.”
Neglect by Government Authorities
These rural communities blamed the Ningi local government, the Bauchi state government, and the federal government for abandoning them to the mercy of the prevailing harsh weather conditions and a widespread lack of or inadequate social amenities.
According to them, in terms of basic tangible social amenities, like good road networks, electricity, and quality health care services, they have been provided with nearly nothing.
A visibly troubled community member from Kyata, Babawo Safiyanu, also narrated a sad loss involving an elder brother who drowned in the Babban Rafi River while returning from Dangarafa Market.
“The river was full of heavy rains, and since there was no bridge across the river, my brother tried to cross. Unfortunately, he was washed away by the heavy current in the middle of the river. This is an incident that will haunt me forever,” Safiyanu said.
Challenges in Agriculture and Health
The inability of the Kafin Lemo community to have a road connecting them with other villages has isolated them seriously from transporting their farm produce to markets.
The village head of Bashe, Alhaji Usman Parda, explained in a telephone interview that the large rivers of the region make it difficult to move goods or reach healthcare services, especially during the rainy season.
He said pregnant women, children, and emergency cases are the worst hit. “We plead that the government should revive this situation and offer relief to these neglected communities,” Parda pleaded.
The District Head of Burra, Alhaji Ya’u Shehu Abubakar, in a telephone interview equally expressed his dismay over the general neglect of the country’s grassroots, who he maintained are the major food producers.
He explained that surrounding communities from Kano often travel to the area to reach the market days but park their vehicles to ride motorcycles or use donkeys or cow-carts to cross over rivers with goods to Dangarafa Market.
“Even constructing a feeder road would reduce the hardships locals face and boost revenue generation for the government,” he said
.
Hope for Change
Alhaji Abubakar, however, remains hopeful about new local government autonomy, which might see these desired changes in the lives of such under-reserved communities.
The Executive Chairman of Ningi Local Government Area, Hon. Nasiru Zakari, avoided offering any response or explanation on the plight of these battered communities under his jurisdiction when contacted for comment.
The persistent lack of infrastructure in southern Burra communities has not only crippled economic activities but also resulted in the loss of lives that are preventable. The rural areas have suffered for a long time, and the residents hope that the government authorities will finally listen to their cries for a proper road network among other essential services.
