Published 20th Sep, 2021

By Daniel Ojukwu

Residents of Rimin-Dankwami, a village in the Karaye Local Government Area of Kano State, have decried the damage caused by rain and erosion on a road in the area.

Speaking with FIJ, they expressed fears of potential loss of life and property in the area surrounding a bridge constructed by the Rabiu Kwankwaso-led administration to link villages in the LGA.

Lukman, a resident of the village, told FIJ that the road that had now caved in began its steady decline about five years ago. He said rainfall swept the road, and because of a lack of drainage, very wide gaps began to open around the bridge.

Erosion hits areas around bridge (top right), as nature creates own drainage

Traders, who use the bridge on a daily basis, have begun to withdraw due to this situation as they fear a bridge collapse in the near future.

Other residents told FIJ the community had been neglected by the local and state governments, and that they were not able to get solutions from either.

Timothy Olufemi, an estate surveyor, told FIJ that the road had suffered a lack of attention. He said, “This is an area that has not developed. The drainage is natural, no civil engineers have worked on the road.”

WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY COMPLAINTS UNTIL NOW

However, Umar Kwanyawa, Speaker of the Karaye Local Government Council, said he was unaware of the situation, as no complaints had been made at the council. He expressed willingness to investigate the situation and help find solutions.

He said, “I’m with the councillor who represents Tudun Kaya. I asked him whether he was aware of any erosion ‘eating’ Rimin-Dankwami, but he said he knew nothing. No one said anything to him, but as I speak, we have someone from Rimin.

“He said that erosion is slowly eating up to the bridge. We were not officially aware of anything at the local government level. As things like this happen, we have procedures. We’ll write to them and persuade them, and then we’ll see how we can solve the problem.

“If it’s something we can do, we’ll do it, but if it’s out of our reach, we’ll write to the state government.”

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