Residents of Dobi community urge FCTA to provide basic amenities

Some residents of Dobi community in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT have called on relevant authorities to provide water and other basic amenities in the community.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gwagwalada yesterday that inadequate water supply and the dearth of basic amenities had been making life unbearable for the inhabitants of the community.

They urged the FCT Administration (FCTA) and philanthropists to provide potable water for the residents of the village so as to reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases in the neighbourhood.

Some of the residents said women and girls usually spent long hours searching for water in distant places, saying that this had negatively affected their livelihood.

The Village Head, Alhaji Tanko Iliya, said the only school in the community had leaking roofs which were not conducive to learning.

He also said that there were no recreation centres and relaxation spots in the community in spite of its proximity to the nation’s capital, adding that this trend needed to be reversed.

“We don’t have water at all, we go to far places to fetch water from streams and rivers; the water is usually dirty but that is the only source of water for us here.

“Since streams are the only source of water for us in the community, we are left with no other option than to drink and use the water even though it may look dirty.

“We want the Federal Government and the FCTA to come to our rescue, so that our children will stop falling ill from preventable diseases and waterborne diseases,” he said.

Iliya noted that the children usually suffered from ailments like cholera and diarrhoea, adding that the development had also affected their attendance and punctuality in schools.