By Collins Agwam
The residents of Assakio and Ashige communities in the Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, have cried out for help from the state government following a recent heavy rainfall which collapsed the bridge linking the both communities.
When Arewa PUNCH visited the area on Tuesday, it was observed that motorists had abandoned the ever-busy road because of the collapsed bridge.
A peasant farmer who is a resident in the Ashige community, Musa Yahuza, told our correspondent that the damage done to the bridge by the heavy downpour had grounded commercial activities in the area, adding that quite a number of government workers and traders were yet to resume work after the Sallah holidays.
He said, “The bridge that we have been managing all these years which links us with other communities in the area has been destroyed. Since the day it collapsed, the entire environment has gone desolate because motorists coming from other towns have found alternative routes to their destinations.
“Commercial activities have also been grounded. Many people working in Lafia town have not been able to resume work after the Sallah break because they have no alternative routes to drive through with their vehicles.
“As a farmer, I pass through the bridge on a daily basis to my farm, and if it is not urgently fixed, it might hinder many of us who are farmers from going to our farms, especially now that the rains have started, thereby causing food shortage in the state.
“So, I am appealing to the Nasarawa State government to as a matter of urgency, help us rebuild the bridge in order not to cripple economic and commercial activities in the area.”
Also, a civil servant resident in the area who identified himself as Mr. Ahmed told our correspondent that he was unable to go to his office as a result of the damaged bridge which was washed away by the rain.
“Because of the collapsed bridge, I was unable to go to my office today as there was no road for vehicles to pass. This issue calls for great concern because we are now in the rainy season and if the rain continues to fall everyday, people of the community will face difficulty in carrying out their daily activities”, he said.
Also speaking, the Youth Leader of Akunza/Ashige community, Daniel Agya, lamented that it was unfortunate that the bridge was yet to be fixed or attended to by the state government since it collapsed.
“We are appealing to the state government to help us out over this matter because the bridge is very important to everyone of us living around this environment.
“I also want to sympathise with the entire people of the area and even the travellers who are suffering on a daily basis as a result of the collapsed bridge. We are hopeful that the matter will be addressed as soon as possible,” he pleaded.
Speaking on the development with Arewa PUNCH in Lafia on Tuesday, the Lawmaker representing Lafia North Constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Esson Mairiga, decried the situation being faced by his constituents who are majorly farmers as a result of the collapsed bridge.
Mairiga, a member of the People’s Democratic Party, therefore appealed to the Nasarawa State government to make haste in attending to the Assakio-Ashige bridge in order to ensure food security.
“Agricultural and socio-economic activities will be affected if the Assakio-Ashige bridge which links several communities in the area is not urgently fixed.
“My constituents are suffering as a result of this bridge collapse. Some of the vehicles that are trying to access alternative roads could not make it, and resulted to the destruction of valuables worth millions of naira. This is uncalled for and very pathetic.
“My appeal is that the government should rise up to the occasion before the main raining season sets in proper.
“Motorists from Shendam in Plateau State and other areas ply the road on a daily basis to their destinations.
“The locals also use the road to go to the market and farms. So, once the road is cut off, all economic activities within the axis will collapse. Hence, there is the need for the government to act fast on the bridge,” Mairiga advised.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts made to get the reaction of the State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Yakubu Kwanta, proved abortive as his phone line was not reachable.
Meanwhile, when contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, who also commiserated with the people of the area over the unfortunate incident, assured that the state government would spring into action in the shortest possible time in order to rebuild the collapsed bridge, he assured.
Source: The Punch