2019 AND PLATEAU’S POLITICS OF POTHOLES
September 17 was a bright Monday morning in Jos. While passing through the city’s commercial district during the early rush hours, I came across a strange hold-up around the British-America junction. I started looking for an answer to what might have caused this unusual event on a road plied by not only civil servants and students on busy days, but also passengers that enter or exit the city centre for various activities including trade. To my biggest surprise, I saw a few workers digging potholes (that were later repaired) on the other lane of the road – which they had closed to road users earlier – leaving the antiparallel commuters to use only one lane of the two-way road. How on earth could a busy Monday be the best day of the week to conduct such pothole-patching operations? What happened to weekends – when there are fewer people plying the road? Why is it that the government was only now interested in getting rid of these potholes that have brought despair to people?
Or they haven’t noticed the suffering of passengers and drivers alike that make use of the road on a daily basis? I kept wondering while looking at the angry faces of students thinking they would be late to school; workers thinking they would be late to work and traders that would also certainly be late to their business endeavours. The honking, shouting and yelling of desperate commuters never stopped. People looked infuriated at what was unfolding, although they could not do anything.
After my 20 minutes-turned-40 minutes tortuous journey, I was eager to come up with answers to my questions. But looking at newly displayed posters and banners of smiling faces along my route and groups of people dancing, singing and waving, I remembered 2019 was around the corner. And as usual, those holier-than-thou politicians that pretend to be caring for the masses during an election period are at it again – I guessed.
About a year ago, at the height of suffering of communities bedevilled by dust generated from abandoned road project sites, I did write a piece titled “Jos stagnant road projects: Everything is turning red,” highlighting the economic and health effects of dust, after hearing and witnessing the stories of frustrated people who were trying to cope with the new reality of living in a polluted environment due to the fall-out of laterite used in the rehabilitation of road networks around Jos metropolis.
In it I argued that, “The once deemed most successful government on the Plateau, headed by All Progressives Congress’ Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, should not throw all its hard work, in the vein of inclusiveness, peace and security, into a trash can over stagnant roads repair and reconstruction, that continue to frustrate affected communities, which many deem as mere political delay tactics.”
Since February 2017, the awarded contracts for the repairs and reconstruction of major road networks with an average distance of seven kilometres in “neglected” Jos communities are yet to be achieved. Residents that were rejoicing when the roads project was inaugurated are now nervous and frustrated, as they feel betrayed. They don’t want to witness a repeat of what transpired with the previous administration.
Fulfilling promises, acting promptly and displaying honesty seems to be the only way the present government on the Plateau will regain the trust of those frustrated voters that continue to suffer under stagnant road projects taking a toll on their day- to -day activities. The ball is now in the government’s court.
Patching of potholes won’t suffice. But concrete and a serious change of policy will. The Lalong government needs to do the needful – to be seen visibly on the ground – before it’s too late.