Residents, motorists decry abandoned FCDA road project in FCT council

Residents and motorists have been groaning over the abandoned St Mary – FRCN Road in Gwagwalada metropolis being executed by the FCT administration.

Some residents, who spoke with our reporter over the weekend, lamented that the deplorable state of the road has been causing pain, especially to motorists plying the road daily.

A resident, Abdullahi Ibrahim, who resides at the opposite central market along the road, said the abandonment of the road by FCTA since last year had subjected motorists to hardship.

“You know I reside close to Gwagwalada main market and when I am driving out, I had to find an alternative route because of the deplorable state of the road,” he said.

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He said since water drainage was constructed by the side of the road and graded by contractors, the rehabilitation work on the road has stopped, adding that the road becomes impassable whenever it rains heavily in the area.

Another resident, Samson Ilya, who also lives around the market area, said whenever there is heavy rainfall, he parks his vehicle at a friend’s house at Phase III and joins ‘okada’ to his house.

City & Crime gathered that the St Mary’s – FRCN Road project was awarded by the FCT administration through the FCT Satellite Town Development Agency (STDA) under the former FCT Minister of State, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu.

It was also learnt that the FCT Mandate Secretary for the Area Council Service Secretariat, Lawrence Bitrus Garki, had some months ago, during his tour visited the road in the company of the council chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri, in which he told newsmen that work on the road will commence in no distance time.

Reacting, the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri, said the council was also worried over the abandonment of the road project, saying the council has informed the FCT administration about the abandoned road project.

“If you can recall during the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike’s town hall meeting in Gwagwalada, I drew his attention to the abandoned road project and he assured that all abandoned projects will be completed by the administration, “ he said.

Giri, however, said the council under his administration since its assumption in office has embarked on various projects, including rural roads, rural electrification, health centres, sinking of boreholes, provision of transformers and other projects.