Residents and commuters in Kabayi, Nasarawa State, have reportedly been left struggling to access their homes and workplaces after a high steel barrier was erected along a major route linking Mararaba to Abacha Road.
A Facebook user, John Clem, raised the alarm in a video posted on Tuesday evening, describing the situation as an emergency and calling on the authorities to intervene before the ongoing construction is completed.
In the video, Clem, while showing people struggling to cross the demarcation line, said, “Emergency, emergency, emergency oo.”
He then appealed to the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, and other authorities to intervene.
“Ordinary Ahmed, Nasarawa State Governor, you all should come. This is the work you people did; now people cannot go home. Look at how people are struggling to pass through, they have joined the war,” he said in Pidgin English.
According to him, the situation had become particularly difficult for workers, elderly residents and women who have to cross the barrier to return home after their daily activities.
“Make una help oo, this is a serious emergency. This is Kabayi. You can see that even women are struggling to pass through. Dem don go work, come still dey suffer to go their house. Older women are suffering too. We need help, emergency,” Clem said.
He said some strong men had resorted to breaking the steel structure to create a temporary passage for pedestrians.
“Strong men broke the iron to allow people to pass through. You can see it now. Please, let there be a quick response to this emergency, because people cannot go to work and return. No access for them to pass,” he added.
Clem further alleged that the barrier had been constructed from Mararaba towards Abacha Road without adequate provision for alternative access, including a U-turn or a pedestrian pavement.
“They just created this wall from Mararaba all the way to Abacha Road, no U-turn, no pavement anywhere, and people are just struggling. This is very bad,” he said.
He also warned that the situation could become worse if the construction work continues as planned.
“So by tomorrow morning now, they are going to cast these irons you are seeing now, and nobody would be able to pass,” Clem said.
He therefore called on the relevant authorities to halt the work temporarily and provide an alternative route for residents and commuters.
“So we are calling in the authorities to quickly stop this work until another alternative is provided for the people to pass,” he said.
“This is a whole community. People are struggling. People cannot walk or drive past.”
“You can’t pass through with a car, motorcycle or even on foot. What kind of white ( Ogini) people are doing this work? They said it’s the instruction from the giver, the governor should stop this work until an alternative route is provided, ” they said.
“This is not a good job, we cannot tell them it is a good job, we can not clap for them, it is a bad job,” Coem said.
The video showed residents attempting to cross the demarcation, while the steel structures had been built high enough to restrict movement across the affected section.
