Heavy rainfall cuts off Kuje community

Continuous rainfall in Kuchiyakwo community in Kuje area of Abuja have damaged roads connecting the area to other communities.

   Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello
(guardian)

The continuous rainfall in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that started on Friday to Saturday morning has cut off Kuchiyakwo community from other neighbouring communities in the area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the heavy rainfall has flooded some houses and washed away the road linking Kuchiyakwo Ecwa Church and its extension in the community.

Some residents of the community who spoke with the NAN on Saturday described the state of the road as devastating and called on Kuje Area Council authorities for immediate action.

Mr Abraham Gado, a resident whose house was flooded, attributed the havoc to lack of standard drainage and improper building by some residents.

``The district head and some stakeholders of the community have had series of meetings to find a lasting solution to this road but have yielded no result.

``The road has no drainage and some have built their houses very close to the road instead of giving some space.

``The community leader and the stakeholders on regular basis have advised people to stop erecting structures very close to the road side but they refused to listen.

``The past Kuje Area Council administration promised to construct drainages and put the road in good shape but nothing has been done.

``If this kind of rain continues for a long time, many houses in this community will be seriously washed down,’’ Gado said.

He added that a tax force was appointed to stop people from erecting structures at the road side but some residents failed to adhere to instructions.

Ms Hadiza Musa, another affected resident of the community described the flood as a strange disaster that needed immediate response from the Satellite Town Development Authority (STDA).

Musa said, ``I can’t even move out with my car because the road has been completely washed off and we can’t gain access to the main road.

``This disaster requires an emergency response from the STDA or else some houses will not last another year.

``The previous Kuje Area Council Administration promised it was going to rehabilitate the road but nothing was done about it.

``We want the relevant authorities to come and address the state of this disaster and put the road in good shape,'’ she said.