By Mangut Bitrus, 25th August 2024.
Residents of Daffo Community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State have called on the Federal Government and relevant authorities to resume work on the Mangu-Bokkos-Wamba road that has been left to rot for a very long time.
The residents made the call when they embarked on the rehabilitation of their road from Dogon-Gada to Daffo town.
The residents appealed to the Federal Government to consider recalling the contractor to the site as he moved his contracting equipment out of the area for more than sixteen years.
Residents are facing challenges in getting to the Local Government headquarters due to the deplorable state of their roads.
Those with Cars visit mechanics regularly for Car repairs due to the effects of the bad road they ply daily to access the Local Government headquarters and other areas that link up with their Community, noting that constructing the road will reduce the amount spent to repair their Cars.
According to them, the Community has been relying on communal efforts, but it is no longer sustainable. Hence, they are appealing to the Government to provide palliative care to alleviate their suffering.
They also urged the Senator representing Plateau State Central Senatorial Zone, Diket Plang, and the member representing Mangu and Bokkos Federal Constituency, Hon Ishaya Lalu, to take their plea to the Federal Government to resume work on the road, which started in 2003 and later abandoned by the contractor handling the project.
Lamenting the bad state of the road, the National Chairman of Daffo Mangai Development Association, Solomon Zaka, explained that the road was awarded twenty years ago during President Olusegun Obasanjo when the late Ibrahim Mantu was the Senator representing Plateau State Central Senatorial Zone at the Red Chamber was later abandoned by the contractor without cognate reason.
Solomon Zaka disclosed that the road was not only taking a toll on their health but also affecting the residents’ socio-economic activities as they have been subjected to undue hardship because of the deplorable conditions of the road, and the situation gets worse during the rainy season.
The National Chairman also explained that the Community embarked on the rehabilitation of the road to complement the Government’s efforts in improving socioeconomic activities and reducing the plight of their people while transporting their goods to Markets.
The residents also commended the Plateau State Governor Barrister Caleb Mutfwang for his developmental strides across the State.
They appealed to the Governor to extend more gestures to the community. Noting that most people in the area are predominantly farmers who cultivate Potatoes, Maize, and other perishable goods in large quantities.
