Th e Abuja-Kaduna highway which was recently repaired to ease traffi c for the high and mighty in the country due to the closure of Abuja Airport has been in the news lately, albeit for the wrong reason. Th e route has assumed notoriety as the haven of dare-devil kidnappers, arm robbers and other shady characters.
But what caught my attention however was the media report talking about additional grant by the federal government to further repair the same highway when many others are in terrible state of disrepair! I’m not in any way averse to this new positive development, but I’m so much concerned about the biased manner in which federal government has been giving preferential treatment in the repair and reconstruction of some highways in the country to the detriment of others, notably Kano-Zaria highway which has become death-trap, claiming many precious souls almost on daily basis! Indeed, even those who did not voted for APC government in the last presidential election and have done everything to truncate its success are now undeservedly smiling and celebrating their luck, courtesy of the works that have been going on many of their hitherto, dilapidated highways.
Now, given the way KanoZaria road has so far been neglected, can we state with certainty that our overwhelming votes for APC have been justifi ed? I believe the over two million votes given to APC in the last general election was nothing more than a lost investment. Worth noting also, is the fact that Kano-Zaria highway can only be compared with Lagos to Ibadan expressway in terms of economic importance to the nation. Th e road serves as linkage between the two most important states in the country. But why it was neglected despite its present dilapidated states of disrepair has so far remains a matter of conjecture. As I write this, the LagosIbadan highway is undergoing the same processes of repair and reconstruction by the federal government. Calabar- Port Harcourt too.
But in matters of priority, Kano-Zaria also, merited any investment by FG considering the importance of the road to the socio-economic importance of the country and the sacrifi ces made by Kano people in ensuring the electoral successes of APC administration against a formidable foe! Th is important artery besides connecting the nation’s most populous state with the rest of Nigeria; also serves as the route through which agricultural produce are transported to other parts of the country.
w6I’m so much inclined to believe that Mr. Fashola was appointed to serve as Minister of Power, Works and Housing by President Buhari for ONLY southern Nigeria? I tend to agree with such widely held notion however weird it may seem given the way the minister seems to concentrate his attention more on south and paying leap service to the other parts of the country! Kano does not deserve such unfair treatment by the FG, by whatever yardstick one looks at the present situation. We deserve to be over-pampered given our political, economic and electoral values in the country. But if such ugly trend continues, 2019 is not far away. And we have the power of our votes to do away with leaders who are insensitive to our plights as a people. Kabiru Tsakuwa, Kano. [email protected]
