• Farmers lament years of neglect, appeal to Sule to revive road project
The Migili communities in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State have commended the House of Assembly candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for Obi II Constituency, Bishop Ezekiel Musa Malla, for rehabilitating an abandoned bridge linking Shupe, Ome, Atabula and neighbouring communities.
The bridge, which the candidate said was previously in a deplorable condition, was recently inaugurated at Shupe in Obi Local Government Area after being reconstructed at a cost of millions of naira.
The intervention has provided relief to residents, particularly farmers who had faced difficulties accessing urban centres and transporting their agricultural produce to markets due to the poor condition of the bridge and adjoining road.
The community leaders, led by Mr Peter Markus, expressed appreciation for the intervention, while appealing to the Nasarawa State Government to revive the broader road project.
Markus recalled that the road had been flagged off in 2019 during the first 100 days of the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule, but alleged that only limited work was carried out before flooding washed away culverts constructed by the contractor.
“We are all farmers in this axis. We need a motorable road to enable us convey our farm produce to the market, but it was difficult for us until this intervention.
“We are happy and we appreciate the NDC candidate for this kind gesture. Only God can reward him,” Markus said.
He appealed to Sule to revisit the project and direct the contractor to return to site.
“We are appealing to Governor Abdullahi Sule to consider this road again and ask the contractor to return to the site,” he said.
Speaking during the inauguration, Malla said he intervened because of the deplorable condition of the bridge and the hardship it had caused residents.
The NDC candidate, who is also the founder of Finger of God Ministry and Chief Executive Officer of Easy Light Humanitarian Foundation, said the latest project was part of several interventions he had undertaken across the constituency.
According to him, he had previously completed a bridge linking Gida Ausa 1 with Dazhela and Dazhogwa communities, which he said was already being used by residents.
“Today, we are here to commission this project that links Atabula, Ome, Shupe and Agude. I have done this one. There is one I did at Gida Ausa 1 that connects Dazhela to Dazhogwa communities. The people are currently using it,” Malla said.
He added that he had also repaired a faulty transformer in Gidiye Ward, installed two electricity poles destroyed by a rainstorm, paid three months of electricity bills and repaired a collapsed borehole serving Duduguru community.
Malla further disclosed that another bridge project had commenced along the Ome road and would be completed and commissioned soon.
He lamented the condition of several roads in Obi II Constituency, which he said required urgent attention.
The candidate promised that, if elected in 2027, he would expand his interventions and work to address infrastructure and other challenges confronting residents.
He said his commitment to the constituency was driven by a desire to alleviate the hardship faced by the people.
