Residents worry as erosion displaces households in Kwali
Residents of Anguwar Kashew in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been thrown into confusion as gully erosion threatens their houses.
Our correspondent, who visited the area at the weekend, observed that some houses close to the ever-busy AbujaLokoja highway are on the verge of being swallowed by the gully erosion.
Some residents, who spoke with our reporter, said the gully was gradually eating up houses, thereby forcing landlords to become tenants as some of the people have already been displaced.
They blamed the erosion on the rehabilitation of the second lane of the highway which involved the construction of a double cell culvert by the construction company.
Mr. Samuel Bako, a resident of the area, whose house was affected by the erosion, said he was forced to relocate with his family after the fence of his house collapsed following a recent heavy flood in the area.
“The gully was increasing daily to the extent that a part of my fence collapsed recently, which forced me to relocate with my family,” he said.
Another resident, Joshua Danjuma, whose house is also under threat by the gully erosion, said he has also moved out of his house with his family to in his family home in Kwali town.
He said they hardly slept with their eyes closed for fear that the house may collapse as the erosion had seriously affected the structure.
“Apart from me, some of my neighbours have relocated to neighbouring Lambata area for safety because of the threat,” he said.
He said some of the affected residents have mobilized and met the community leader of the area, Bamayi Zhinze, through who they channelled their complaint to the authorities of the council for assistance, but that nothing has been done.
“Some of us that are affected directly mobilized and met with the Mai Anguwa, who later met with the council authorities about the situation we are facing here but nothing has been done either,” he said.
Another resident, Ismaila Ibrahim, said he regretted buying a house in the area, lamenting that the gully erosion was already threatening the house.
“If you look around, you will discover that my house is more affected by this gully erosion menace. When I bought this house four years ago, this place was not like this, now I am forced to move out with my family to squat elsewhere,” he said.
A community leader, the Mai Anguwar Kashew, Bamayi Zhinze, told Aso Chronicle that he was worried over the gully erosion threat which, he said, has been threatening some houses and property in the area.
“I think the gully started about four or five years ago when the federal government started reconstructing a section of the Abuja-Lokoja expressway,” he said.
He said the erosion has become a nightmare to the people in the area, adding that he would summon another meeting with the affected residents to deliberate on the way out.
“I have already asked the affected residents to organize a meeting and come up with a letter addressed to the council authorities which I will present to the council chairman for his intervention,” he said.
Reacting, the chairman of Kwali area Council, Danladi Chiya, said he would direct the works department of the council to visit the site for information that would be forwarded to the minister and the Ecological Fund for intervention. adding that: “they have screened and gotten 767 qualified applicants out of the number.’’
Earlier, the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on Education had urged the management of the institution to absorb academic and non-academic casual staff who have been working in the institution for long before considering fresh applicants.