This Day (Lagos)
Paul Akan Obi
2 November 2009
analysis
Lagos — Down the slippery hills of Gwargwada, a village in Kuje Area Council stand a community adorned with natural beauty that is close to a tourist site that if tap into may likely add as a golden site for tourist attraction.
But beyond these gifts, Gwargwada can boast of, it is cut off from the cosmopolitan Abuja scene. Even the road from Kuje town which would have made access easier is none existent. It's about 20 kilometers from Kuje town to Gwargwada. Because of a motorable road, villagers and visitors have to embark a long journey by coming from the Abuja city through Abaji down to Rubochi, a journey of about three hours for a trip that would have taken just 30 minutes from Kuje town. Still, the village remains neglected and left alone to self actualisation.
But for the Jos-based newspaper, Standard Voice of Monday February 16, 2009, that captured the historical feature of Gwargwada, no one would have thought a place like that exist in the fastest growing African city called Abuja. Rather, it will have continued to be subsumed and confused with Gwagwalada. Today, that is changing with the intervention of a Youth Corps member, John Fajimi a graduate of electrical and electronic engineering from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Oyo State.
He thinks that as a Nigerian, "we can rebrand the country by offering selfless services. When I was coming for my NYSC programme, I had in mind that I will do something reasonable. So, when I read about this village in a local newspaper, I said how can people leaving in Abuja go through this kind of suffering. I said some no, something must be done. I decided to give it a trial.
"Initially, it was not easy at all, because of discouragement from people. They told me that these people don't need any help and they may be dangerous. I said no, and every time I come and I sleep, by the time I go back, I fall sick. The thing is that I have passion for development, though I believe government should be doing all these," Fajimi said.
After drawing up a feasibility study of the village and wide consultation with the indigenes, it was discovered that the village lacks a health centre or clinic, there was also no drinking water, except a stream that was often times filled with debris and animal waste, which made it prone to diseases. It was these plights that Gwargwada village was confronted with.
With these problems on his mind, Fajimi decided to find solutions to problems of the community as well as remedying the situation. First, medical doctors were brought from National Hospital, Abuja to provide free medicare to the villagers. Before the arrival of Fajimi who is now seen as a Messiah of sort, Gwargwada village could only boast of a health centre that has completely collapsed.
He saw these as big challenge that needed to be confronted. Thereafter, he went to Abuja city where he brought work men who renovated the dilapidated health centre, giving it a new face lift. Not only that, he moved to the area of water, where the only existing well that was been abandoned. He again, brought people, who dug the well deeper as well as constructing and painting the closet. Today, Gwargwada village is proud of having a well furnished Clinic and a reliable source of water; all the credits go to Fajimi, a Corper with registration number FCT/08C/1363.
Where did Fajimi get the funds he used to embark on these projects in the village? He told THISDAY that he did the works with his meagre resources when there was no sponsor that came to assist.
On how the villagers feel about the developmental spirit of Corper, the tradition ruler of Gwargwada, the Dagbo Agabe of Gwargwada, His Royal Highness Ibrahim Dikko, said they are very elated. "The project is great, Fajimi has done a lot, we never expected this, our people are happy, in fact, and this is the first time it's happening in our village."
For the NYSC Coordinator, Federal Capital Territory who represented the Director General, Brigadier General M.I. Tsiga, nothing else brings joy than watching a Corps member show passion for development. "We are very happy and joyous on the community projects embarked upon by Fajimi, we urge all Corps members to follow suit in leaving a land mark in the communities they are serving, they should continue with this trend."
Gwargwada people who are of the Gade tribe might have been rescued from the shackles want and diseases by the passionate drive of Fajimi. For FCT authorities, the tourist potentials offered by Gwargwada village are too enormous to be ignored by a reasonable government.
The FCT Minister can intervene by developing the area as there may not be too many Fajimis out there in the FCT. For the rebranding Corper, he believes that, "since the less privilege is part of the society, what ever meager thing we have, we should use to impact on our communities.
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