Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Residents of the Angwan Nungu area in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, have issued a passionate plea for urgent government intervention, decrying years of neglect that have left their community gasping for breath. In a series of messages shared on the Nasarawa State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure's official X (formerly Twitter) platform, residents described a litany of failures: roads that have become death traps, children suffering from preventable diseases, and a polluted environment they say is slowly poisoning them. The community has now demanded that Governor Abdullahi Sule and his administration step in before the situation spirals out of control.
At the heart of the community's anguish is the deplorable state of the only road linking Angwan Nungu to the rest of the Lafia metropolis. Residents described the road as "a graveyard of cars," with craters so deep that vehicles are frequently damaged, causing exorbitant repair costs and isolating the community from emergency services. A resident who spoke anonymously said, "Our children fall into potholes while running to school. Pregnant women have been rushed on the backs of motorcycles because no ambulance can navigate this road. This is not a road; it is a death trap." The absence of a drainage system has compounded the flooding problem, turning the community into a swamp during the rainy season.
The second and most urgent grievance is the irreversible environmental damage caused by a quarry plant operating near residential homes. According to several residents, the constant blasting and crushing of rocks from the quarry have created a blanket of dust that coats everything within a mile radius, and the persistent tremors from the explosions have caused structural cracks in several homes. "I have lived here for 20 years. In the last two, my children can't sleep because of the constant blast. They have developed persistent coughs, and I am constantly treating them for chest infections," explained a mother of three, Mrs. Hauwa Musa.
The final and most heartbreaking part of the community's grievance is the health crisis affecting its youngest members. Residents allege that the dust from the quarry and the stagnant water from the collapsed drainage system are creating a breeding ground for waterborne and airborne diseases. Local children are reportedly suffering from a severe shortage of clean water and a high susceptibility to pneumonia, asthma, and skin rashes. The community fears that their current situation is a violation of their constitutional rights to life and health. The Lafia community also reported that they were effectively abandoned by their local representative.
The Angwan Nungu community has now turned its cry for help to the digital space, appealing to Governor Sule himself to use his second-term mandate to remember the "forgotten communities." In response to the growing outrage, the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, disclosed that the ministry has compiled a schedule of 12 roads for immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction, though Angwan Nungu was not listed on this initial rollout, raising further tensions. The Governor's office has yet to respond directly to the community's demands.
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