Residents of Dutse communities in Bwari area council to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on the council chairman, Mr. John Gabaya, to fix the damages made on the Dutse-Bwari express road by the council more than three weeks ago.
It can be recalled that over three weeks ago, some suspected road construction workers from Bwari area council had dug wide shallow holes in the roads, with the impression that they want to fix the bad spots on the roads, but nothing has been done on the road, which has resulted to serious gridlocks on the road on daily basis.
The residents who threatened to shut down the road and prevent motorists from plying the road if nothing was done soon explained that the council workers initially went to remove the speed bumps on the road with the impression that they want to fill the little bad spots with the scraps from the bumps.
Mr. Simon Dauda, a resident of the area explained that after removing the speed bumps, the council workers visited the road again and dug wide shallow pits on various parts of the road, which since then had led to gridlock on the road on a daily basis.
“We cannot say exactly the motives of the council for coming to damage the road that used to be motorable. We used to manage this road before they came and dig wide shallow pits every 20 meters on both sides of the road.
“The damage caused on this road by the council workers since the past three weeks has been damaging cars and causing serious gridlock every day to the extent that from Tipper Garage Junction to Saukale roundabout which is not up to 5km, you will spend up to two hours on a daily basis.
“Also, the pits have also become a death trap to motorists at night. Since the council damaged this road, we have witnessed different accidents at night. The chairman should call the attention of the works department to come and repair what they destroyed,” he said.
Mr. Hassan Dogo, a driver plying the Dutse-Bwari route said that the destruction made on the road by the council damaged his car and made him spend money he never bargained for to fix the car.
“The damage on this road destroyed the bottom plate of my car. It is wrong for anybody to just come and dig wide shallow holes on an express road, all in the name of pretending to want to work on it. The holes are expanding daily and motorists are suffering because of it.
“The FCT Minister should come to our rescue and instruct for the road to be fixed. We cannot continue to have our cars destroyed or damaged by the wicked acts of the council. Because digging holes on a major road and leaving it like that is an act of wickedness,” he said.