With due respect, I draw the attention of the governor of Borno state, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno state, to the undesirable situation of Dala area of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, particularly Dala bus stop. Dala bus stop or motor park is diverse and among the oldest streets in Maiduguri which on many occasions is highly congested.
Dala is one of the most crowded and busy places in Maiduguri, where all sorts of commercial activities take place. The street called Dala bus stop is dilapidated with bad roads and poor social amenities.
However, before the Zulum administration, the people of the Dala bus stop have cried out about the unbearable roads, and por drainages, especially during the rainy season. In most cases, tricycle riders refuse to carry passengers to that street, due to the blocked road. Unfortunately, people mostly trek to their various destinations. However, due to its deplorable state, the street has been renamed “Bus stop Allah ya isa”, meaning God forbid Bust stop in Hausa.
Thus, we the people of Dala bus stop plead with the administration of the workaholic Governor Babagana Zulum to please come to our rescue. Before this government, the street had no drainage but with his humane heart, the amiable governor provided and renovated some roads, drainages, and other amenities in his first term. The issue now is the lack of environmental personnel to clear the blocked drainages which have led to the damage of the road, pollution, and unhygienic environment.
In an interview with some residents of Dala bus stop, a lady, Fa’iza Jibrin, angrily said, “Honestly, I feel bad everyday when I am going to school. I find it difficult to get Keke-napep, which makes me to go to school late. One day I was passing by, I saw a young almajiri boy fall into the dirty drainage, and unfortunately, people were laughing at the boy, without even caring for his health. I, therefore, urge to the respectable Governor Babagana Zulum to provide for us environmental officers in order to protect our environment”.
I now stand to speak on behalf of the good people of Dala bus stop in Maiduguri, to appeal to the active Governor Zulum to mobilize the Borno State Environmental Pollution Agency (BOSEPA) to be effective and efficient in the discharge of their mandate.
The people Dala bus stop should also come together to clean their environment for a healthy Maiduguri. The governor should please provide more dust bins in the area for dumping refuse and also urge to sensitise the people on the need for good hygienic and conducive environment to guard against disease. Lastly, let’s endeavour to keep Maiduguri and Borno state at large clean, for a better Nigeria.
Abubakar Isah,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri,
Borno state
