Communities living along Funtua- Malumfashi-Kankara- Dutsinma–Katsina roads have expressed serious concerns over the deplorable condition of the roads.
A resident of the area Ismail Kankara told The Punch on Sunday in Yargoje village that the roads have become death traps for both motorists and commuters plying the roads.
“These roads, Malumfashi-Funtua and Malumfashi-Kankara-Dutsinma- Katsina are the worst roads in the entire Katsina State.
“The deplorable condition of these roads especially Malumfashi-Funtua and Malumfashi-Kankara has forced many commercial vehicle drivers to stop plying the roads.
“Most motorists going to Kano from Funtua prefer to go to Zaria in Kaduna State and follow the dual carriageway because it’s safer for them,” Kankara said.
He noted that the inability of the authorities concerned to rehabilitate the roads has worsened the current insecurity challenges bedeviling the area as hardly a day passes without a report on bandits attacking residents of the area.
“Hardly a day passes without bandits attacking villages in the area because the roads are not motorable,” he said.
He blamed the Federal Lawmakers representing the state at the National Assembly as well as the State Government for not making any move to see to the rehabilitation of the roads.
“The Senator representing Katsina South, Muntari Dandutse is from Funtua but he is not doing anything to ensure the rehabilitation of the road,” he said.
“Look at Malumfashi-Kankara road even the state government can rehabilitate the dilapidated portion of the road, but the road is not their concern for now,” he said.
Another resident of the area, Musa Abubakar also blamed the Federal Lawmakers and the state government for not prevailing on the Federal Government to rehabilitate the roads.
“With the money state governments are getting from the Federal allocation, the Katsina State government can rehabilitate the roads and request for reimbursement as it used to be the case in the past,” he said.
According to him, the people of the areas have threatened to boycott the 2027 general elections if the government failed to come to their rescue.
“People in this area are not happy with politicians in the state, they are even threatening to boycott the forthcoming general elections if nothing is done about this road,” he added.
Another resident of the area, Aminu Abdullahi lamented that most of the potholes that had earlier been patched along the road, had already gone off thereby causing vehicles breakdown and accidents.
Abdullahi said, “As I am talking to you now the patched potholes carried out by the previous administration had gone off, making it difficult for motorists plying the road to move easily.”
Our correspondent who was in Kankara Local Government area of Katsina State on Sunday, observed that motorists plying the road have to drive “at a snail speed” due to the deteriorating condition of the road to avoid possible breakdown of their vehicles.
Efforts to contact the Federal Controller of Works, Katsina State, Engr. Idris Matinja failed as an official who was supposed to provide his contact deliberately refused to do so.
