Madalla chief decries dilapidated schools structures

The District Head of Madalla, Mallam Musa J. Saidu, has lamented the poor state of infrastructure at the public primary and secondary schools in the area.

The chief, who spoke with our reporter in an interview on Sunday, also declared that the town’s proximity to Abuja, the nation’s capital, has brought no benefit to the community.

He said the closeness has rather brought hardships, since most working class and business people who could not afford accommodation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) lived in the town, thereby leading to congestion.

“The only public schools here, the primary and secondary schools, are on the same premises and that has caused overcrowding in the classrooms.

“Sadly, these problems are caused by the influx of people here after demolitions in Abuja, which has turned the town into a slum, putting pressure on the existing structures,” he said.

He chief also lamented lack of pipe-borne water in the town, adding that the taps have remained dry for over two years.

“I can tell you, many things have gone contrary to our plans. It is the same situation with the single public clinic we have in the town. The power supply is worse, as it would only last for one hour and most times, a day; the same thing with our roads as they, too, are all in bad shape.

Also, a stakeholder and educationist in the area, Malam Muhammad Umar Madalla, said the town is strategically located and should have had a better deal but it was wallowing under the challenges of lack of infrastructure.

“Look at the situation of our only public school. “Naturally, to whom much is given, much is expected, but as is it now, you don’t expect any good result from that school.

“Many of the teachers working there are PTA sponsored. And majority of our people could not afford to take their children to the private schools that are almost everywhere in the town, the same thing with the private clinics here,” he added.

Madalla, a boundary town with Abuja from the northern axis, is in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State but houses many people who work and do business in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

The town is popular for its Thursday Market where traders from far and near troop to transact business though that causes congestion to travelers and other road users on the Abuja-Kaduna highway, where the market is situated.