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William Attah
The District Head of Dalawaja in Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State, Alhaji Hamma Musa Waja, has expressed his community’s deep frustration over the state of the road linking them to the world.
As historic as the community is, being the first place the famous Waja people settled before spreading to other parts of Gombe State and beyond, they have been battling for ages over the complete dilapidation of the road linking them with other people.
The community has produced the first person to obtain a university degree in the whole of Tangle/Waja, (current Gombe South Senatorial zone) as well as a one time Nigerian Ambassador to the US among many other prominent Nigerians.
According to the District Head, who constituted a special committee of prominent sons and daughters of the community from home and abroad, to commence the process of resolving the challenge, stated painfully that whenever it rains, they stay indoors for days, thus, negatively affecting their socio-economic lives.
In an interview with our Correspondent shortly after meeting with the committee, Alhaji Musa regrettably explained that their children stop going to school outside the community whenever it rains because of the inaccessibility of the road.
“We have only one Junior secondary school and two primary schools in the community and whenever it rains, hundreds of our children attending senior secondary schools in Talasse, the LGA Headquarters, stop going to school for days.
“It has also affected our farmers too. Recently two trucks loaded with cotton were stucked on their way out. It also took a very long time before they were evacuated.
“Whenever it rains and my attention is needed in Talasse or Gombe, the State capital, I have to trek over six kilometres to meet up with my appointments because even motorcycles can not ply the road. Other times I trek to Talasse and sleep before continuing with my journey”, he lamented.
The royal father who explained how the community had been making annual communal efforts to put remedial repairs on the road, appealed to the State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, to fulfill his promise of constructing the road the people described as their number one priority.
He also appealed to the Federal Government and well meaning individuals to come to the aid of the community considering it’s economic viability as the hub of cotton farming in the State.
The District Head also explained that because of the difficult terrain and how hard it is to reach Dalawaja community, it will require enormous resources to fix the road and the community can’t do it alone.
No fewer than five bridges and, or culverts will need to be constructed on the about six or seven kilometres road.
End.
