Dutse Alhaji’s first gate located directly opposite Zenith Bank on the right-hand side when driving from Abuja – city centre to Bwari Area Council of FCT has become terribly deplorable.
The terrible portion of the road that is less than two kilometres from First Gate to the popular Koro Mosque has become a predicament for commuters and residents because accessing it has become very difficult.
Some business owners along the road disclosed that it is impacting their businesses negatively, pointing out that a good number of their customers have since stopped patronizing them. They attributed it to the terrible condition of the road that makes it difficult for their customers to access their shops.
Mr. Emeka who prefers only his first name to be mentioned, and sells telephone accessories opposite Olajumoke Akinjide Plaza about 300 metres away from the First Gate, told MAWA – Foundation that a good number of his customers no longer patronize him due to the terrible nature of the road that is making access to his shop very difficult.
“This road has gone from bad to worse, it is adversely impacting our business, as some of our customers cannot buy from us again because there is no access road,” Emeka said.
Mr. Peter Ikah, who rides on the road every day while narrating his experience told MAWA that using the road has become very uncomfortable. Describing it as a nightmare, Ikah said driving on the road has become his greatest fear while pointing out that it wears off cars, particularly the shock absorbers and suspensions.
According to Ikah, life has become so difficult in Dutse Alhaji. One has to struggle between buying petrol, fixing a car, feeding, paying house rent, and footing children’s school education as a result of inflation in the prices of commodities and the high cost of living.
As Dutse First Gate and other roads continue to be this terrible, it is unclear how the Bwari Area Council Authority spends its revenue. This year, the Bwari Area Council has N10.6 billion in appropriations with N6.7 billion set aside for capital expenditures.
In the N3 billion shared among the six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory in the month of February this year, Bwari received N102.295 million excluding internally generated revenue amount that is always hidden from public knowledge.
Bwari Area Council Authority has the responsibility of working together with the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) to provide infrastructure to communities under it. This will not only improve the standard of living but aid businesses that will result in economic viability for sustainable development.