Clergyman mobilizes members, resources to construct mini culvert, drainage in Bauchi Community
Samuel Luka, Bauchi
A Leading Pastor of Local Church Council (LCC) Wuntin Dada, a community within Bauchi metropolis, Reverend Pam Chollom on Friday led hundreds of his members to construct a mini culvert and drainage to save a potion of road linking the area with Tsohon Kamfani neighborhood from been cut off.
Speaking to newsmen at the scene of the project, Rev Chollom who is serving under Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) said that the funds for the execution of the project was sourced from contributions made by his members.
According to him, the project was being executed through direct labour by his members under the supervision of qualified engineers in order to save cost and ensure quality work.
Reverend Pam Chollom who further explained that the project was part of the contribution of Church to community development, pleaded with Governor Bala Mohammed of the state who he said has executed numerous developmental projects and Programmes that have direct bearing in the lives of the citizens to consider constructing road from Wuntin Dada market through Tsohon Kamfani to Miri Communities to boost commercial activities of the residents.
He said that the project site which is beside his church is being threatened by erosion such that if care is not taken, it will cut off the two Communities of Wuntin Dada and Tsohon Kamfani from having access to each other.
“The church is just beside the road and the road has a lot of challenges from Wuntin Dada to Tsohon Kamfani, it is so rough with a lot of potholes but the major concern we are having is the culvert and the drainage”, he said.
Rev Chollom further explained that the road has a very small culvert which used to collect a lot of water that could not easily pass, thereby threatening the already degraded road.
“It has become a serious challenge to the road users whenever it rains. Predictions by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) indicated that there is going to be flood in some parts of Nigeria with Bauchi inclusive, that is why the church has, through the support of its members decided to embark on this project that you are seeing now”, the Clergyman said.
He said, though many of the members of the church are not in good financial standing but were able to respond positively to his call and contributed immensely for the project.
“They were moved by the terrible condition of the road, it is an old road leading Tsohon Kamfani Community but the culvert is very small, seeing the need, members contributed various sums of money to support the construction work”, Rev Pam Chollom added.
“As Leaders of the Church, we called on them to come out en mass, volunteer to participate in the construction work as laborers and they accepted wholeheartedly. You can see them doing the work with enthusiasm, we are not paying them they did their breakfast at home and the work may possibly take us the whole day”, the Rev stated.
Rev. Chollom said due to the serious challenges the degrading condition of the road poses to the community, the church can not wait for the government to address it, but do it as part of its corporate Social responsibility to augmentin the effort of the government.
“We will not behave like other Communities, we will not allow this challenge to be tormenting us, that is why we are doing it. We are calling on the government to construct the road from Wuntin Dada market to Miri”, the Clergyman appealed.
“We are doing it to lend our support to the government. We know His Excellency, Senator Bala Abdukadir Mohammed Kauran Bauchi, Governor of Bauchi state has executed so many road projects that has opened up towns and villages, we are appealing to him to consider Wuntin Dada and construct the road from Wuntin Dada market to Tsohon Kamfani, even to Miri”, the Reverend requested.
“This is an old Jos road that passes to Miri Community, we will really appreciate if the government can help us fix that road because there are a lot of people in this community”, he said.