By Prince Osaka Jeremiah Oyigoso
Rukubi is an agrarian community which shares border with Benue State. It also shares borders with other communities in Nasarawa State.
Rukubi is the host community to one of the largest rice producing companies in Africa “Olam farms” . The people of the community are predominantly farmers and fishermen which serve as major sources of livelihood.
The community is blessed with vast land for agriculture. It has a good record of peaceful coexistence amongst its residents.
However, despite its visible support to the government of the day, the community is faced with problem of bad road network.
A phenomenon that has bedevilled the people of Rukubi for more than two decades. This is because the road constructed from Doma to Okpatta, a nearby community during the reign of His Excellency, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma of blessed memory, did not take into account the heavy duty trucks plying through that axis rather it focused on personal SUVs and light duty vehicles moving through the various communities for easy transportation of goods and services.
It should be emphasised that, the late Aliyu Akwe Doma’s frantic effort in constructing the road in question has led to the smooth flow of business activities in the area which was made possible through the award of the road contract to well experienced company known as PW Nigeria Limited.
Sadly, the road which was not completed, not to talk of putting it into proper maintenance for almost two decades, is now dilapidated and in dire need of reconstruction.
How one wishes His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule could find time to visit this area of agricultural importance to the state and experience the current level of suffering people are going through due to this extremely bad condition of the road, in addition to prevalent menace of erosion, activities of heavy duty vehicles, armed robbers, kidnappers, and assassins.
The presence of Olam Farms has attracted on a daily basis heavy duty trucks to and from the area thereby triggering constant and continuous destruction of the road. It is said road is the artery through which the economy thrives.
This is possible by linking producers to markets, workers to jobs, students to schools, and the sick to hospitals, roads are vital to development of any society around the world.
Rukubi in Ekye Development Area of Doma Local Government is one among many communities that has bad road network and the need to reconstruct such road infrastructure is paramount so as to ease the hardship faced by the people and make the area more habitable.
The past administration of Late Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma and that of Umar Tanko Almakura have tried their best to see that the road is in good shape for the community.
Despite the effort of the past administrations to put the road in good shape, the heavy duty trucks used by Olams Farms Nigeria Limited has continued to have negative effect on the road and will continue to impact negatively on the road if not checked and addressed.
To solve this recurring problem, there is the absolute need to reconstruct the road to standard. The security challenges on that road is largely attributed to the bad nature of the road. Men of the underworld hide themselves within the road sides particularly around the spots with deadly potholes to perpetrate their evil acts.
The effect of insecurity on the area is one amongst the many problems the communities in that area are facing. Thus If the present administration of Engr. Abdullahi Sule will consider and award contract for the construction of Doma-Rukubi road, it will not only reduce the negative effect of insecurity in the area, or ease movement of humans, goods and services, it will certainly give credence to the present APC led administration under the able leadership of Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule of Nasarawa State.
As we commend the gesture of the governor for his rural and urban development master plan, we are appealing to him to have a second thought on the highly dilapidated Rukubi road which is longing for construction.
We will be glad if a contract to that effect is awarded to an experienced/qualified construction company for quality work. Similarly, the presence of the largest rice farm in Africa located in Rukubi will also receive a boost as motorable road would be provided for easy transportation of produce to urban centres as well as other parts of the country.
On these premise, the government and Olam Farm limited can collaborate and make the construction of Doma-Rukubi road a joint venture owing to the importance of the area to both the government and the company.
This will go along way in expediting and ensuring that this road gets the best of touches needed. Road which is a means of transportation, when in bad shape will hinder the movement of sick persons and pregnant women to either primary, secondary or Tertiary health institutions for medical attention.
Therefore, it behoves on the government to provide such social infrastructure to its citizens while Olam’s can intervene as part of it’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the host communities.
We, the good loving people of Rukubi are assuring the present administration under the leadership of Governor Abdullahi Sule that the construction of Doma/Rukubi road down to our border with Benue State will serve as motivational factor that will give APC upper hand and political advantage over all other political parties in the area. Graciously, if this road is constructed, the people of Rukubi will forever remain grateful to the government and indebted to the people’s governor, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule of Nasarawa state.
Oyigoso writes from Rukubi Community, Doma LGA, Nasarawa State.