Some residents in Argungu Local Government Area of Kebbi State have commended the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) for restoring the two collapsed bridges.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the floods from Argungu Matan Fada and Tabarau rivers had, on Sept. 12, resulting in the total collapse of the two bridges linking various communities and the Niger Republic.
The residents expressed their views in separate interviews with NAN on Friday in Argungu Local Government Area of the state.
Malam Shu’aibu Aliyu, a resident from Augie Local Government Area, told NAN that the collapsed bridges forced an untold hardship on the traders and commercial drivers from their area.
“Argungu town is like a home to us, as most of us from the Augie area come to do businesses in the town on daily basis.
“Some of us from Augie leave Argungu for our area in the night and we have no hesitation as our road and the bridges were excellently motorable.
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“But when the surging floods ensued and caused havoc to our farmlands and bridges we were completely devastated and disengaged from the people in the rest of the state,” he said.
Aliyu said that the restoration of the bridges brought consolation and hope that their loses would soon be replaced.
“We commend the FERMA, youths in Argungu and state government for ensuring that we are back to the road again. We will bounce back to our former life and businesses, ” he said.
Also, Malam Manu Maimota, a commercial driver from Kangiwa area of Dandi Local Government, expressed his satisfaction with the quality of the work done on the repairs bridges.
“I am particularly happy with the repairs and reopening of the road.
“Our means of livelihood was stagnated when the bridges were completely destroyed because this is the only road we ply if we want to come to Argungu; the other road linking Kangiwa to Makera in Birnin Kebbi had collapsed too.
“But now with these repairs, our hope has been rekindled and soon we will replace what we lost to the floods last month,” he said.
Malama Hauwa’u Balaraba, a food vendor from Bui, thanked the state government and FERMA for the prompt action on the road.
“I was at home when I was told the bridge has been opened, hence I gathered the remaining capital I have to go to Argungu market and purchase foodstuff in order to resume to my food selling business, ” she said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Kebbi State Directorate of Labour Agency (KSDLA), Alhaji Bello Dantani, told NAN that the emergency repairs on the bridges were in line with the directive of Gov. Atiku Bagudu.
“The governor had directed the agency to arrest the imminent collapse of the rivers nd prevent the floods from submerging our communities.
“The flood which leads to the collapse of the two bridges had caused hazards to people in Augie, Yeldu, Bubuce, Kangiwa, and other communities that come to Argungu town for businesses on daily basis,” he said.
Also speaking, The FERMA’s Engineer in- charge of the state, Malam Rilwanu Usman, said that his team of engineers had been working on the section of the road for the past 10 days.
“You can see, the bridge No. 3 along Argungu -Bui road whose approach was cut- off by heavy floods, thereby causing untold hardship to the people of that community has been restored today.
“We are able to open the road today, while the work progresses on bridge No. 5 to avert cut-off and also the entire stretch of Argungu -Bui road,” Usman said.
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