Mokwa is the 5th largest town in Niger State. It is the headquarters of Mokwa Local Government Area and is situated on the Kaduna – Lagos highway.
Mokwa used to be the toast of travellers – whether by road or by rail. It is a hub of economic activities even in pre-colonial days.
However, recent neglect by the government is dwindling the fortunes and treasures of the town which is still contributing to the economic prosperity of the nation evident from the varieties of both food and cash crops grown in the town and its environs.
Today, it is the highest producer of melon (egusi) even though, the production is left in the hands of peasant farmers with no support from government at all levels. Sometimes one begins to wonder where the priority of our government lies. For emphasis, Mokwa used to be described as the “the home of grains.” That was when the federal government established the famous National Grains Production Company in the 70s.
Mokwa is one of the Research Stations of the Institute for Agricultural Research of A.B.U and that of the Institute for Tropical agriculture (IITA). It is also pertinent to note that one of Africa’s Premier Abattoirs was established at Mokwa by the then Northern Regional Government in 1964. Mokwa Cattle Ranch (MCR) was established in 1964 specifically for fattening purposes, under a bilateral agreement between the German and Nigerian governments. It had full compliments of infrastructures, facilities and machineries of European Union standards and was handed over to Nigeria in 1974.
It was established to make full use of the molasses that is produced at the nearby Sugar Company at Bachita. Its total land area is 6,885 out of which 2,780 hectares have been prepared for grazing and cropping while 4,108 hectare remains as rangeland. The Abattoir and Cattle Ranch is a subject of litigation at the moment.
Mokwa in my view is not only neglected; it is has been abandoned by the authorities. Let’s take a cursory look at the following:
Mokwa General Hospital
Mokwa General Hospital was established in 1986. It is one of the biggest hospitals in Niger State. Unfortunately, the hospital is in a deplorable state, with insufficient medical personnels.
Whenever there is no power supply from PHCN, activities in the hospital are always disrupted. The laboratory is also not in good condition. What the government and patriotic Nigerians are to note is that the hospital is very strategic and caters for more Nigerians than envisaged.
After Mokwa, the only place to get any help in case of accident is either Ilorin – that is some 140 Kilometres away or to Bida – that is 130 kilometer away! The hospital needs quick intervention from the Niger State Government. Help is also needed from health donors to rescue lives that are being lost on a daily basis due to the deplorable state of the hospital.
Security
The location of Mokwa makes it vulnerable to security challenges. In 2009, suspected Boko Haram members established a camp – few kilometres to Mokwa which they called Darul Salam. Thanks to the quick intervention of Niger State Government under the leadership of Dr. Mu’azu Babangida that dislodge terrorists.
Even till this moment, insecurity in and around Mokwa poses great concerns. The security personnels in Mokwa are just too insufficient to handle any major crisis. A prompt intervention is required by establishing a military base in Mokwa and also for Nigeria Police to reinforce the Police Division or even establish an Area Command in Mokwa town.
Erosion
Mokwa has been suffering from erosion that covers the distance of about 1609.344m. The erosion dug a deep pit that runs through the middle of the town. The erosion has been existing for about 30 years now. Efforts have been made to access ecological fund at the inception the Buhari’s Administration in 2016 and 2017 but it has not been successful, There is the need for the Federal Government to intervene to save lives and livelihoods threatened by the erosion.
Road Network
Mokwa is unarguably the biggest town in Nigeria without a single tarred road or drainage system. The coming of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello is changing the narrative in a positive way. So far, contract has been awarded for the construction of township roads as much as this should be applauded, unfortunately, the work is going on at a snail speed. It is time the state government read riot act to the contractor to complete the project as soon as possible.
Electrification
Mokwa Local Government houses Jebba Hydro Electric Power Dam. But ironically, electricity supply in Mokwa has declined significantly. This is affecting the cottage industries in the area; hence, the need for serious improvement of electricity supply to the town and its environs.
The town needs a sub-station; we are calling on Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Mainstream Energy, Federal Ministry of Power and Steel to come to the rescue of the people and save jobs.
College of Agriculture, Mokwa
The Niger State College of Agriculture, Mokwa was established in June 1979 as an arm of the Niger State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. However, in May, 1984, an Edict establishing the College was enacted by the Niger State Government (Edict No. 1 of 1985) which made the College autonomous with the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resource as the supervisory Ministry. The primary objective of the College includes among others provision of basic training and development of middle level manpower in the Agricultural Sector.
The College now runs some courses up to HND level. It is expected that the school should be well structured with good teaching equipment. To the contrary, the College looks more of a glorified secondary school. It is our call to the Federal Government to take over the college, with this there would be more resources at the College’s disposal and this would bring the much desired developmental strides the college needed.
To conclude this piece, it is pertinent to implore government at all levels not to abandon Mokwa. It is a commercial centre with one of the busiest markets in the state and its strategic location attracts people of diverse backgrounds to the town. It is time for the government to harness the potentials of this town by upgrading existing facilities so as to encourage economic development of the town instead of making our teeming youth leave the town to the army of unemployed youth in our major cities. This is the best way to go!
Danjuma NdaMokwa writes from Minna, Niger State
