Residents of Assakio and Ashige communities in Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State are seeking urgent help from the state government following the recent heavy downpour which led to the collapse of the bridge linking both communities.
DAILY POST findings revealed that the development led to the abandonment of the usually busy road by motorists.
Musa Yahuza, a peasant farmer in Ashige community, lamented the impact of the collapsed bridge on commercial activities, stating that many government workers and traders were yet to resume work after the Sallah holidays.
“The bridge that we have been managing all these years which links us with other communities in the area has been destroyed.
“Since the day it collapsed, the entire environment has become deserted because motorists coming from other towns have found alternative routes to their destinations.
“Commercial activities have also been grounded. Many people working in Lafia town have not been able to resume work after the Sallah break because they have no alternative route.
“As a farmer, I pass through the bridge on a daily basis to my farm, and if it is not urgently fixed, it might hinder many of us who are farmers from going to our farms, especially now that the rains have started, thereby causing food shortage in the state,” Yahuza lamented
He appealed to the Nasarawa State government to, as a matter of urgency, help to rebuild the bridge in order not to cripple economic and commercial activities in the area.
A civil servant in the area, who gave his name simply as Mr. Ahmed stated that he was unable to go to his office due to the damaged bridge.
Ahmed expressed concern that the situation might worsen during the rainy season.
“Because of the collapsed bridge, I was unable to go to my office today,” he said.
Daniel Agya, the Youth Leader of Akunza/Ashige community, appealed to the state government to urgently rebuild the bridge, stating its importance to the community.
In Lafia, the lawmaker representing Lafia North Constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Esson Mairiga, decried the impact of the collapsed bridge on farmers in the area.
Mairiga urged the state government to act swiftly to ensure food security and prevent further economic losses.
“Agricultural and socio-economic activities will be affected if the Assakio-Ashige Bridge which links several communities in the area is not urgently fixed.
“My constituents are suffering as a result of this bridge collapse. Some of the vehicles that are trying to access alternative roads could not make it, and resulted in the destruction of valuables worth millions of naira. This is uncalled for and very pathetic.
“My appeal is that the government should rise up to the occasion before the rainy season sets in properly.
“Motorists from Shendam in Plateau State and other areas ply the road on a daily basis to their destinations.
“The locals also use the road to go to the market and farms. So, once the road is cut off, all economic activities within the axis will collapse. Hence, there is the need for the government to act fast on the bridge,” Mairiga advised.
Efforts to reach the State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Yakubu Kwanta, for comment were unsuccessful as of the time of this report.
However, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, assured that the state government would take immediate action to rebuild the collapsed bridge.
Nasarawa communities groan as collapsed bridge halts activities