Saburi Chief Alhaji Muhammed Yamawo compared the newly completed Saburi road to a bride, saying FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has given him and the community a beautiful new bride.
He was reacting to a question on how he feels about the construction of the 5km Saburi Access Road by the Wike-led Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Dagachin Saburi spoke in the Hausa language in his palace last week when members of the FCT Minister's Press Corps visited the community for comments following the completion of the road.
Visibly elated, Dagachi expressed his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, FCT Minister and Abuja Area Municipal Council (AMAC) Chairman Christopher Maikalangu, among others.
The community leader especially thanked the minister for keeping his promise to give way to them and for the provision of a new Primary Health Care and a new Police Division in Saburi.
A visit to the sites showed that work has already begun in earnest for the health center and the Division.
Another respondent, Engineer Akin Akinwande, a car wash stall owner, praised God and also thanked the FCT President and Minister for the road.
He said: “Since Wike made this journey from Saburi I-Saburi II-Deidei market, business has improved tremendously. And the road is a standard road. It's not like the one they made for us about five years ago, which broke down in two or three weeks.
“But in this one you can see the standard of the road. For me, this is the first time we have a minister in the FCT that we benefit from.”
Akinwande noted that his car wash business received a boost immediately after the road was completed.
According to him, about 20 cars passed through the area, but in a few minutes the number increased to more than 100.
“We were doing this car wash business but it wasn't moving. All the people coming from Deidei, Dawaki and other places now pass through here because of this access road; This shortcut has now brought me many clients.
“Before, between 10 and 20 cars passed through here, but now more than 100 cars pass by in a matter of minutes and this has increased my business,” he reiterated.
However, Akinwande noted that a drainage diversion along the road next to the Emperor's Garden, onto an unpaved road, could pose a challenge in the near future if not addressed now.
He asked the Minister to ensure that it was properly addressed to avoid a challenge to the forecasts.
Nicolás Emmanuel, owner of a furniture workshop in the community, also thanked the Minister for “remembering” them and prayed God to preserve him to continue the good work.
He lamented the poor condition of the road so far and stated that they were now enjoying the road.
Emmanuel emphasized that many motorcycles used to suffer accidents while traveling on the road, especially during the rainy season, while during the dry season the whole place was covered in dust, which gave him extra work removing dust from the furniture, some even fell. They were damaged by overwork. dust.
“The dust also gave us colds but that's not the case anymore, and business has also improved,” he added.
Justina Ochoche, an Akara bean cake seller, who also spoke with us, expressed her joy at the completion of the road and said: “We didn't have a road before. Here there was mud everywhere and our children fell while walking on the bad toad.
“But now that the government remembered us, there is no more dust or mud, even when it rains we are free. They also packed away all the trash and now everything is clean. God bless Nigeria.
Ochoche prayed: “God will bless Wike, even his generation. “It's better for me because I don't do good for Saburi Deidei.”
He also revealed that the road has improved his business in Akara as more people travel along the road and stop by to visit him.
Similarly, Emeka Oduma told us that he was very impressed and happy with what the FCT Minister has done for them in Saburi I.
Oduma, a truck driver who has lived in the community for about ten years, stressed that the road was a good thing and that they were happy with the development.
However, he lamented the high cost of taxes and appealed for tax reduction as well as building more roads and markets for the people.
Oduma also called on other Nigerians to follow in Wike’s footsteps, saying: “Those who will come after him should follow in his footsteps. He is a good man for providing us with a good road network in Saburi I.
Another member of the Saburi I community and owner of 234 Stores, Emmanuel Ogboh, also said he was “really happy with the development of the road.
“Before, our roads were really in bad condition and when it rains, it is very difficult for cars to pass, but now that the FCT Minister has made the road, it has not only made movement easier but has also brought more business flow. like Cars from other places in Abuja, including Kubwa and Deidei, pass by here and frequent us, which creates turnover,” Ogboh said.
However, he defended the construction of speed bumps on the road, saying some drivers now speed because the road is smooth, and noted it could cause accidents.
Ogboh cited a case where he was almost hit by a driver who was driving recklessly. They need something to slow them down.