By: Godwin Igber
Residents of rural communities in Benue State are appealing to the government to provide critical social amenities, including access roads, electricity, and healthcare facilities, to improve their livelihoods and foster development.
In separate interviews with The Whitewater Digest, they lamented that both dry and rainy seasons have had enormous challenges on them, due to the absence of public infrastructure.
Speaking, a resident of Oju Local Government Area, Odeh Iganga, decried the deplorable condition of Awaji-Oju Road and other feeder roads in the community.
“If the needs of the people are met, the communities will thrive on development through the enabling environment created by the government”. He said.
Iganga, further noted that the presence of the College of Education Oju should make the government to bring about intervention projects in the areas of safe water, rural electrification, standard hospitals and provision of fertilizer for the farmers to enhance food security in the communities.
In Tarkaa Local Government Area, Solomon Myavshaku said their villages are faced with the challenges of lack of motorable roads and transportation of agricultural produce to the markets, scarcity of clean water for consumption and lack of access to local markets for small scale businesses in the Local Government.
“Tarkaa Local Government has great potentials to become the hub for agricultural production, the opening of new markets should also be considered among other areas of intervention”. He reiterated.
Also lending his voice from Gbajimgba, Guma Local Government, Terver Michael, mentioned villages such as Kaseyough, Torkula, and Umenger as deserving the provision of pipe-borne water and the construction of access roads to link different villages and towns, calling on the government and public spirited individuals to intervene.
He said other areas like Tomennyin and Umear still have access roads but their current conditions need immediate intervention.
In Naka, Gwer West Local Government Area, Donatus Aun, also lamented the unabated bad condition of roads, culvert and drainages since the beginning of the rainy season, calling on the authorities to put in place modalities in the management of water resources and prevent the citizens from contacting diseases.
“Typhoid has become our major challenge in Naka here; this is due to the lack of clean water”.
According to him, areas such as Phase Two extension have been battling with the lack of electricity.
On his part, Terna Gabriel from Zaki Biam, Ukum Local Government Area, emphasized the need for government to look into the infrastructural needs of the people, noting that roads and streets should be constructed linking Zaki Biam International Yam Market to boost businesses in the community.
Terna said: “Zaki Biam International Yam Market is recognized in the whole of West Africa but the outlook of the market is discouraging to attract more business-minded individuals to come around”.
He added that apart from the challenges of insecurity, government needs to open accessible roads to villages, as well as provide clean and safe water. He noted that residents of Zaki Biam buy water all year round, without intervention from the government for the provision of social amenities.
