The Keteringwari Unit of the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) in Niger has called on the state government to provide social amenities for the mechanic village in Minna, the State Capital.

Malam Mohammed Suleiman, the NATA chairman of the unit, made the call during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.

“We appeal to government to help us rehabilitate the road inside the mechanic village, provide us with drainage system, electricity transformer and also to fence the area,’’ Suleiman said.

The NATA chairman decried the situation where members of the association pay revenue to government and basic amenities are still not provided for their conveniences.

“Our members have threatened to stop paying revenue to government.

“When it is time for elections, candidates vying for positions will come and promise us that they will develop the mechanic village and we end up voting for them.

“It is, however, unfortunate that when they get to position, they will not fulfill their promises,’’ he said.

Suleiman said that motorists who maintain their vehicles at the mechanic village had been complaining about the bad condition of the road, which measures up to 400 metres.

The NATA chairman said that the village had epileptic power supply due to the bad transformer, adding that this was hampering their jobs as some of its members depended on electricity to carry out their work.

He noted that despite the presence of private security guards in the village, thieves often break into the workshops to steal motor parts from vehicles undergoing repairs.

“There is need for fencing of the entire village to complement the efforts of the security guards because some of the thieves enter through the bush paths,’’ Suleiman said.

He said that the village had three boreholes and a toilet facility, which was provided by the past administration of former governor Babangida Aliyu, adding that out the three water sources, two are functional while one was bad.

Suleiman disclosed that the association was discussing with the Niger State Environmental Protection Agency on how to evacuate refuse that had accumulated in the area over the years.

A motorist, Mr Aliyu Mohammed, who spoke to NAN at the mechanic village, said that he endured the bad state of the road because of the good mechanics in the village.

“There are good mechanics inside the mechanic village that is why I still patronise them, but as soon as I get another good mechanic outside I will stop coming here because of the bad road,’’ Mohammed said. (NAN)

– Sept. 14, 2018 @ 13:59 GMT |