Residents of Angwan Jarawa and the larger Farin Gada community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest over the deplorable condition of roads in the area, calling on the Plateau State Government to urgently commence rehabilitation works.
The protesters, comprising youths, women, elders, commercial motorcycle operators and other community members, marched through the community carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs as they expressed frustration over what they described as years of neglect.
According to the residents, the poor state of the roads has made movement extremely difficult for motorists, commercial motorcyclists and pedestrians, especially during the rainy season, while also affecting businesses, emergency services and access to the community.
Speaking to journalists during the protest, Youth Leader of Farin Gada, Steven Joseph Zaruma, said the community had repeatedly appealed to successive governments to reconstruct the road but lamented that promises made over the years had not been fulfilled.
He alleged that government officials had visited the area several times to inspect and measure the road, yet no construction work had commenced.
“Our demand is simple—we want the government to construct our road. We have been promised repeatedly that work would begin, but nothing has happened. The road is only remembered during election campaigns,” he said.
Zaruma described Farin Gada as a strategic community in Jos North, noting that it serves thousands of residents, students of the University of Jos, traders and adjoining communities.
According to him, the community is home to one of the area’s major tomato markets and several schools, making the road a critical route for economic and social activities.
He further stressed that the community has remained peaceful despite its ethnic and religious diversity and has consistently supported government initiatives, adding that residents felt disappointed that their repeated appeals had yielded no tangible results.
“We have maintained peace, promoted unity among all ethnic and religious groups and supported the government over the years. Yet our cries have not been heard. This protest is a collective appeal for government to fulfill its promise,” he added.
Also speaking, the Women Leader of Farin Gada, Mrs. Salome James Dawar, said the protest became necessary after several unsuccessful attempts to draw the attention of government authorities to the condition of the road.
“We have appealed many times for help, but it seems nobody is listening to us. That is why we came out peacefully to plead with the government once again to fix our road. We will continue to appeal until our voices are heard,” she said.
Commercial motorcycle operators also decried the impact of the road on their daily operations.
Chairman of the Okada Riders in Farin Gada, Akaso Abimbi Dalami, said the road had become a major source of hardship, especially during the rainy season.
He explained that riders spend huge amounts repairing damaged motorcycles while passengers, including pregnant women and sick persons, endure severe discomfort due to the road’s condition.
“The road is causing us serious hardship. Our motorcycles break down regularly, and passengers often fall because of the bad sections. Transporting pregnant women or sick people has become extremely difficult. We are pleading with the government to come to our aid,” he said.
Former Youth President and current Security Chairman of Farin Gada, Joshua Iku Akubaka, said the poor road network had also affected emergency response within the community.
He noted that delays caused by the road had, in some cases, made it difficult to transport critically ill persons for medical attention.
Akubaka urged the government to urgently address the situation, warning that residents were becoming increasingly frustrated after years of unfulfilled promises.
He said the protest was intended to draw the government’s attention to the community’s plight and called on authorities to prioritize the reconstruction of the road in the interest of public safety and economic development.
Residents maintained that their protest was peaceful and aimed solely at seeking government intervention to improve infrastructure and ease the suffering of people living and doing business within the Farin Gada axis.
