Residents of Nyanya in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have appealed to Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in the territory to open up the Area C road to ease traffic.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that the road was closed following the bomb blast at the Nyanya motor park in 2014.

They also called on authorities of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to salvage the deplorable state of roads in Nyanya for easy flow of traffic.

In separate interviews with NAN on Wednesday, the residents said the call became necessary given the hardship motorists and other road users plying the roads had been subjected to.

They said since the Area C roads was blocked, they found it difficult to reach their homes with ease as they had to content with potholes.

Many motorists in the area expressed concern that were compelled to drive on the bad roads for about 30 minutes to 40 minutes instead of five minutes.

Mr Olufemi Peter, a resident of area B which forms part of the community, described the experiences of commuters on the road network of Nyanya as stressful and pathetic.

He said: “Government should come to our aid, let them open the road, let the road be accessible, let people have access to the road. Area C road is the only good road that is good in Nyanya, yet it is blocked.

“We are in a democracy but you see, the police should not block the road.

“The only accessible road which is supposed to link people of Gbagalape, area B and C to the main road is being blocked by the 21 PMF.

“Government should help us open this road.`.

According to him, the terrible nature of other access roads in the community had been a source of concern for commuters and residents.

“People who have small cars, especially Honda, always experience breakdown of their cars on these bad roads and when it rains, the roads , apart from the closed Area C road, become impassable.

“We don’t know what government is doing about this; it is affecting business and movement of commuters.

Mr Babatunde Ahmed, a civil servant and resident in the community who claimed to have been in the area for 30 years, also expressed concern on the poor state of roads in Nyanya.

“These roads have be very bad, sometimes around 2014, government came to repair some of them, but it was not up to three months we started experiencing pot holes.“

He accused some residents for being responsible for the deplorable nature of the roads by indiscriminately dumping of refuse in drainage thereby breeding instances for flooding.

“Some of the residents did not also help the matter, when there is little rain they will bring the waste from their houses and dump them in the drainage, thereby blocking the drainage.

“For the past four years, we have not enjoyed the Area B road. Because of its deplorable nature, I will describe it as the worst road in this environment.

“I also call on the authorities of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to put measures in place to prevent residents from blocking the drainage.

Ahmed noted that the closure of Area C road had been creaed hardship for residents of the area “because that is the only good access road to the main road leading to city centre.“

“But since it has been blocked there is no other good road, my request is that if government can open it, it will ease the traffic.

Mr Goodluk Chinonso,  a commercial motorcycle operator said the closure of the Area C road and the dilapidated state of other roads in the community remained a major problem to the people.

“It is a major challenge that everybody is facing, particularly this area B and C in Nyanya.

“It has become a very big problem and the development is affecting our work negatively.

“The bad roads prevent people, particularly the motorists from going to work as early they wish, their cars are damaged on a daily basis due to ubiquitous potholes.

Every day, we visit mechanics for the repairs of  our vehicles due wear and tear, consequent upon the deplorable condition we use our cars to ply.

“The good road everybody should be using has been blocked despite the directive from police authorities that all roads should be opened.

The Police Mobile Force formation in Nyanya, known as 21PMF, however, said it blocked the access road citing security reason.

The insurgents had on April 14 2014 detonated bomb at Nyanya Motor Park that led many deaths and property worth millions of naira destroyed.

Meanwhile, when NAN correspondent visited the 21 PMF base office on Friday, to speak with Commander on the blocked road, he was said to have gone on national assignment on tour of states.

Reacting to the deplorable roads in Nyanya and its environs, Head of Works of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Mr Alhassan Dakwoyi, told NAN that repair works on the roads would be captured in the 2019 budget. (NAN)

– Sept. 12, 2018 @ 17:25 GMT |