Nine of the 11 wards in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State do not have reliable electricity, the council chairman, Dr Salisu Isah, has said. Isah made this known while appealing to the Federal and Kaduna State governments to reconnect communities in the local government to the national electricity grid, following improved security in the area. The chairman said the lack of reliable electricity had affected education, healthcare, agriculture, small businesses and other economic activities in the area. “At present, communities in nine of the eleven wards remain without reliable connection, largely as a consequence of the security challenges that disrupted existing electricity infrastructure,” he said. He urged the authorities to make the restoration of electricity infrastructure a priority as security improves across the local government. “As security improves, reconnecting these communities must become a development priority. Electricity is essential to education, healthcare, agriculture, small businesses, communication and modern economic life,” Isah said. The chairman spoke against the backdrop of the commencement of the reconstruction of the 122-kilometre Mando-Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road, valued at N177 billion. He described the road project as a major milestone in the development of the local government, saying its completion would improve security, facilitate agriculture and commerce, create employment and ease the movement of people and goods. Isah expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the reconstruction of the road, recalling the President’s previous visit to Birnin Gwari before assuming office, when he personally witnessed the condition of the highway. “Today, by the grace of Almighty Allah, we are witnessing the fulfilment of those commitments,” he said. According to him, improved security had already encouraged farmers to return to their farms and created a more conducive environment for economic activities. He also commended Governor Uba Sani for his interventions in Birnin Gwari, including the ongoing reconstruction of the 36-kilometre Bagoma-Gagumi Road, renovation of the Jibril Mai Gwari Memorial Hospital and construction of a modern abattoir and veterinary clinic. The chairman, however, appealed to the Federal and state governments to complete the Gwargwaje-Zaria Road through Farin Ruwa to Saulawa, which he said commenced in 2011 but was later abandoned. He also called for increased investment in education and healthcare, as well as the establishment of higher institutions, a JAMB examination centre and functional skills acquisition centres in the area. Isah said the restoration of peace and infrastructure had provided an opportunity to address the longstanding development challenges confronting the local government. “The future of Birnin Gwari must not be defined only by the challenges we have survived. It must increasingly be defined by the opportunities we create,” he said.
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