•Kuchibuyi, the FCT community with zero amenities
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The story of Kuchibuyi community is one of neglect. The community located in the fringes of Kubwa, Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, cannot boast of social amenities.
From the absence of portable water, good school, good road, it is a tales of woes for the people. For a community located very close to Kubwa, which is one of the major satellite towns in Abuja, it is more of a case of living beside the riverbank and washing one’s hands with spittle.
During a visit to the community, Daily Sun discovered that there is no government presence in the area For instance, the only government owned primary school in the area, LEA Primary School, Kuchibuyi, is in a state of total disrepair.
Some of the residents said despite being part of the FCT, the government seem to have forgotten them completely. A resident, Anthony, said: “There is no water here, no road. The education system here is very bad. We have just one primary school. It is not well equipped. There is no security. If the government can come to our aid. We will be grateful.
“This hand pump is not working. It will spoil and it will take about six months for the community to raise money, N200, N300 per person to fix it. When you fix it will spoil again. But this time, when it spoilt about one year ago, nobody is talking about it.
“For healthcare, we have only one Primary Healthcare. Everything you do there is money. And it is not well equipped at all.”
Secretary, Kuchibuyi Community, Mallam Yusuf Alkali: “This our school was established in 1976. It was established with a block of three classrooms. Since 1976, this school has only been renovated once, three or four years ago.
“In the first tenure of former local government chairman, late Isa Dara Bwari, they provided us with desk. After that the government has not done anything in the school by way of providing desk in the school.
“It is only recently that our brother, Hanza won councillorship seat that he used his power to provide desks for the students. It is through the efforts of the community that we have been providing seats for the pupils.
“The last time they (government) graded the road from Kuchibuyi to Bwari was in the tenure of late Isa Dara, it would be around 2002, during his first tenure. Since then nothing else. When we have our farm produce to transport them to Bwari or Kubwa, we find it difficult, especially during rainy season.”
It was gathered that as part of efforts to address their water needs, the people of Kuchibuyi rely on a stream, located along the Chikakore-Kuchibuyi Road to wash their clothes and take their bath.
When our correspondent visited the community, children were seen taking their baths in the stream, just like some teenagers and adults were seen washing their bikes. Our guide explained that just like Kuchibuyi, Chikakore is also confronted with the challenge of bad road and lack of pipe borne water.
He noted that regrettably, the Water board, which services most parts of Kubwa is located few metres away from Chikakore.
Nevertheless, unlike the people of Kuchibuyi, residents of Chikakore have taken their destiny in their hands, fixing their roads themselves and digging boreholes to take care of their water needs.
Regardless, for the people of Kuchibuyi, their main headache, at the moment, is kidnapping, which recently crept into their community, thereby compounding the woes.
A resident, who refused to disclose his name for fear that the men of the underworld may come after him said: “They are disturbing us here seriously. Recently, they came here and carried two people. They are demanding for N20m.
“I have been living here for more than seven years. In that seven years, we have been having challenges of water and road. But this challenge of security problem, started three years ago. And that is the most serious trouble we are facing now.
“People are leaving the village. The reason you met some of us here is because we have nowhere to go. Many people are running. Everywhere is scanty now.”
The community secretary said: “Last year, they came here and kidnapped one of our community member and we have experienced kidnapping this year about four times. It is a serious challenge confronting us.”
However, member, House of Representatives, AMAC/Bwari Federal Conservation, FCT, Chinedu Obika, said he was not unaware of developmental challenges confronting communities in Abuja said only four out of the 22 wards in the constituency are developed:
“That is what we are actually going to be doing in this budget; drawing the attention of the authorities and making sure that where they put the money is where the people need it.”