Gase is an agrarian community in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State. For many years, members of the community, especially farmers, women and children in the 55 villages that make up the community, trek the 38 kilometre distance to the main Lapai-Muye-Lokoja Road to their various residences.
This is because they have no access road linking them to other neighbouring communities.
The only road from Lambata linking Eshepa, Alaba, Favu to Danmarokopa, Sabo, Abugi Jankara, Tengi and Gayankpa has been in a bad condition for many years due to neglect by successive administrations despite its strategic position to both the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kogi State.
Every year, farm produce of the people who are predominantly farmers rot away due to lack of good road that would enable them to evacuate their produce to the market. The few people who take the risk of using the few commercial vehicles that risk plying a pseudo-road usually pay through their nose. Majority of the people either convey their produce on motorcycles or trek several kilometres with heavy load to FCT, Lokoja or Lapai.
The road is narrow and rugged and hardly contains two vehicles. Wooden culverts on the road create the risk of motorists and motorcycles falling into a ditch. The road is practically impassable during the rainy season. Members of the community have resigned to fate.
This was the situation until when Engr Abdullahi Isah Jankara popularly known as “AJ”, decided to single-handedly open up the road.
In November last year, the Petrochemical Engineer began the widening, clearing and grading of the 38-kilometre road. The project which involves construction of seven bridges, payment of compensation for houses, churches and mosques demolished and grading is almost 80 per cent completed.
For Jankara, the suffering of his people, their inability to access their neighbouring communities to sell their farm produce or visit friends for lack of motorable road became a thing of concern to him.
He said: “First and foremost, what is happening in my community is disheartening. Coming to my locality was becoming unbearable, especially during the rainy season. At a point, one couldn’t come into the community with one’s vehicle. During heavy period of rains, we would be totally cut off from other towns. I felt I had to come and make my own little contribution and help to reduce the suffering of my people.
“So, we decided to commence the opening up of the 38-kilometre road from Lambata to the bank of River Gurara in Gayankpa which connects us with the FCT and Kogi State.
“The concept of the road we had before was not meant to stand the test of time. The wooden culverts were made to accommodate only one small vehicle at a time. When the road is opened up, the way we want it to be, it will withstand the test of time. There will be expansion of the former culverts in a way that it can accommodate heavy trucks.”
Though he set out to open the road, he has some hurdles to surmount. If a bridge is not built on River Gurara to link the community with FCT, his dream will be a mirage.
“At the end of opening up the road, we need a bridge to link the community with FCT and Kogi State. This is a big project far beyond us. So, we are appealing to state government to come and complement our effort by constructing a bridge on River Gurara to link Niger State at this end with FCT at the other end.
“If this is done, all the farm produce of our people can have free access to the markets in Abuja, Lokoja and many other places,” he said.
Aside from the fact that the project will bring succour to his people, Jankara said the completion of the road will significantly enhance Federal Government’s huge investment on the dredging of River Niger and the construction of inland Port at Baro.
“This road will provide a shorter link from many northern states to the Baro Port. From Abaji in FCT, motorists will not have to go to Kogi State before assessing Baro Port, thereby saving cost and mileage,” he stated.
Many people thought Jankara’s philanthropic gesture was politically-motivated. He dispelled the notion. For him, the joy of his people whenever they pass the road to market or visit friends gives him the satisfaction he wanted and not for any political gain.
“I’m neither a politician nor interested in any political office or appointment. I am also not doing this for recognition from anybody. People should not think that I am looking for political office for doing what I am doing. I believe I have to contribute tothe development of my community, which is what made me embark on the project,” he said.
On the cost of the project, he said: “I will be sounding like a politician if I tell you the cost of the project. This is my own modest contribution to the well-being of my people. The amount of money spent cannot be equated with the relief the project will have on my people. For me, I don’t make public show of any project God has enabled me to do for my people.”
He said he would have preferred not to publicise the project so that people would not read meaning to his good intention, but for the need to get government to come to the community’s aid as work on the project is gradually coming to an end particuarly where a bridge would be needed.
“I agreed to communicate through this medium because we need government’s assistance regarding the bridge. I want to tell the government that an individual who have come to help his community is doing this marvelous project. I am not seeking for any office from government but if I can contribute to this level, I think if the government comes in, it would complete the history.
“I want to tell the governor that the community is pleading with him to open us up to a bigger world by constructing this bridge. If this is done we are going to be very happy,” he stated.
He further explained that he did the project as a way of giving back to his community for making him who he is. On whether other stakeholders contributed to the project, he said he has received no contribution from any organisation or from anyone, adding that he is the one who is funding the project, even though he declined to disclose the total amount estimated for the project and the amount so far spent.
“There is no contribution from anywhere. Nobody has given me any assistance in terms of funding for this project but as work continues, we are going to have to ask for government’s intervention because building the bridge across the river is very expensive and no individual can do it. We will need government in Minna to come to our aid,” he stated.
The construction of the road was not his first attempt at making life bearable for his people. In 2009, he single-handedly built and equipped the Community Junior Secondary School. He has been responsible for payment of salary of six teachers in the school for the past four years.
For his philanthropy, he has been praised by all. Etsu Mamman Gana, the Village Head of Ganyankpa, opened the floodgate of praises to AJ.
For the octogenarian, the opening up of the road is giving the community a new lease of life and great economic opportunities to explore. The project, the royal father said, was the answer to the cries of the people.
“Before our son began this road project, it was hellish for my people and the entire villages around; we lacked so many things. As a result of the impassable state of our road, things are neither brought to us from the city or for us to take things out of this area. We are farmers, we record losses every year as our produce rot away because the road is not accessible. We are happy that with the road being constructed, we can sell our products and compete favourably with other wards in this local government and beyond.
“Jankara has wiped off our cry; he has energised our frail bones. We are grateful to him and we call on the state government to partner with him to complete the work, especially the construction of bridge on River Gurara,” the royal father pleaded.
Also speaking, the eldest member of Abugi Jankara Village, Alhaji Ibrahim Jankara said: “Abdullahi is God-sent to us. In all facets of life, if there is no road accessibility, one will be locked up. God has provided someone who has done our road for us. We hope the other challenges like potable water and health centre will be looked into.”
He also lamented government’s neglect of the community. “We in this community pay taxes to government but we are being sidelined. We don’t have a functional clinic and even the community secondary school was built by this same Abdullahi, who is opening up our road. He pays the salaries of our teachers. We have been forgotten by both the local and state governments but thank God for AJ,” he said.
But for AJ, the education of 16-year-old Mahamud Abdullahi, a student of the Junior Secondary School built by him would have been truncated.
“I owe whatever I will become to Allah (SWT) but for AJ, maybe, I would have ended my life without going beyond primary school. Today I am in JSS 3 in the community school he built. The road project has given our parents hope that our farm produce can get to the market”
Hajiya Talatu Alaba said:”With what AJ is doing, we hope that our local and state governments will wake from their slumber. The fact is, if an individual embarks on a project of this magnitude, it shows that government in such area has gone to sleep.
Commending the pace of work on the project, Mustafa Gana who is indigenous to Ganyankpa but resides in Minna, advised the state and local governments to take a cue from AJ.
“If within two months AJ has opened up virtually the entire stretch of the road, one wonders why after six to seven years government has not completed 10-kilometre road in each of the local government areas.
