Residents hopeful as govt intervenes on Wadata gully erosion
Residents of Wadata in Abaji Area Council are hopeful that their 17-year-old nightmare will soon be over as the Federal Government has started work on the gully erosion threatening their homes.
The erosion has already cut off the residents of the community from Abaji town having destroyed the road linking the two areas.
The erosion has also affected the main Agyana road, which leads to the permanent site of Abuja University of Technology Abaji (AUTA), washing away some parts of the shoulder of the road and some culverts.
Aso Chronicle gathered that the gully erosion control project is funded from the ecological fund, through the Presidency.
Our reporter who visited the site recently, observed that the ongoing work is handled by an indigenous construction company, Precise Civil Engineering Limited.
A former vice chairman of the council, Alhaji Usman Idris Mawogi, whose house was among those affected by the erosion, said over 200 houses were on the verge of collapse before the intervention.
He noted that the Ona of Abaji, Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa, and elders of the community had worked hard, reaching out to relevant authorities, before the intervention came from government.
“The community had written several letters through the Ona of Abaji, Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa, to both past and present FCT minister’s, because many of us whose houses are close to the erosion site hardly sleep at night when it is raining. But today, as God will have it, we are beginning to have some sigh of relief as work has commenced on the site,” he said.
The former vice chairman added that some residents of the community whose houses had collapsed as a result of the gully erosion had to relocate to Abattoir New Extension.
Also speaking to Aso Chronicle, an elder of the community, Alhaji Adamu Umar Kyara, recalled how some residents were forced to abandon their vehicles at friends’ or relations’ homes at Abaji town anytime they closed from work.
“In fact, even the foot path that was like a shortcut for people use to get to Abaji town was also cut off by the gully erosion. But with the ongoing work at the site by the company, we are beginning to have hope that when completed, our suffering will reduce,” he said.
Kyara said God has answered the prayers of the people who prayed both day and night at mosques and churches for God to intervene.
“In fact, whenever it was raining, I had to wake all my family members to sit and watch and pray that the house will not collapse on us. But today, to God be the glory, that nightmare will be a thing of the past,” he added.
Also speaking with our reporter, the chairman of Wadata community in the area, Alhaji Isah Zubairu Shamangi, said he was elated with the effort by the authorities of the council and the Ona of Abaji in ensuring that the gully erosion was controlled.
He said lives and property of the residents were now safer with the intervention of the government.
He also lauded the effort of the FCT minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, in facilitating the gully erosion work at the community.
The site engineer of Precise Civil Engineering Limited, Babangida Saidu, who also spoke with our reporter said since the company commenced work at the erosion site over a month ago, about 12,000 truckloads of laterite had been used in filling the gully.
He said the work was at 70 percent completion stage, adding that a water drainage system was being constructed to control the flood that arose anytime there was a heavy down pour.
“And we are hoping that by next month we should be able complete the work as we work sometimes even at night. Even on Sallah day our men worked here after they returned from the Eid prayer,” he said.