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The bad roads to Abuja’s good estates

By Eseohe Ebhota, Olayemi John-Mensah & Taiwo Adeniyi

Securing accommodation could be tasking in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). More tasking is getting a desired place with necessary amenities especially good roads. As private estates continue to spring up in the territory as a panacea to accommodation problems, easy accessibility is still a challenge.

As the estates sprawl up in hitherto deserted areas, vehicular movement increases and the population swells without a corresponding increases or renovation of amenities. The development residents said could alter the quest of the territory to becoming an excellent city.

The deplorable road in these estates has become worrisome to the residents. These estates are built to give comfort to the residents but not many are enjoying what they pay for.

In some parts in the territory are adorned with good roads, colourful and adorable estates. From the Kado, Lifecamp, to Lugbe-Giri Junction such estates with lush green lawns and tarred roads are common. Though there are pockets of others without good raods.

Some occupants of these estates seem unmoved about the state of the roads leading to the estates. However, a few concerned residents who spoke to our reporters stated that it is could be because the roads are not government roads that are why the residents display such a nonchalant attitude.

A resident of Kado Estate who simply gave her name as Rose said, “It’s unfair the way the roads in this part of the city are abandoned. Even if they are not government roads, the occupants of the estate should at least contribute some money to repair the road.”

Comfort John stays in another private estate in Lifecamp and she said that the roads are the responsibility of the estate managers because “even inside the estate, the roads are bad and we the residents pay facility bills which I believe covers everything. So if they can’t repair our roads within the estate, is it the one leading to the estate that will be fixed?”

The roads leading to the Federal Housing Estate Lugbe is not left out. A resident Patience Edwin stated “It’s so annoying when you are driving and you keep entering into one gallop after another, I have repaired my car’s bumper and vulcanised my tyres several times due to the road.”

She added that it was not the responsibility of the residents to fix the roads because “the government collects taxes from us. So if they will not repair the roads, why tax us? The essence of collecting taxes from us is to provide good basic amenities for us and roads form a part of these amenities”.

She called on the government to come to their aid by repairing the roads.

In Kuje the plights of the estate dwellers are not different. Some of the residents of Karim Mafo Estate along Holy Family in Abuja lament the deplorable road within the area.

One of the residents who craved anonymity said the road has been in bad shape for years and become worst during the raining season. He added that residents have to task each houses so that they can fix the road after waiting for the government for long.

Another resident, Sunday Daniel told our reporters that the roads are deplorable and it causes untold hardship on residents.

“But funnily, if you are driving in from secretariat the road is good but entering into this place is a disaster and something needs to be done urgently to put the road in good shape,” he said.

He said, “Most houses around here are privately owned but a good road network would have made life better. Though contributions by individual have help kick start the renovation but rain caused the delay.”

At the Lokogoma axis, the situation is more pathetic. Some residents said they spent more than 30 minutes before getting to the Apo-Galadimawa Roundabout expressway. Others said that during rainy season it could take them about one hour to get to the expressway. The bad road they said is compounded by traffic jam.

“I am worried by this situation. It has never been this worst in this place. The road gets worse as rain increases,” Adamu Ali, a resident of PENGASSAN Estate said.

Though some of the estate managers have been responsible for the renovation of some roads as seen along a dusty road leading to the Gudu Market from the Lokogoma, they appealed to the government to come to their aid.