Danku residents link poor road to blurred vision

Residents of Danku in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region have raised concerns about the health and social effects of the community’s poor road condition.

Speaking to Kangyiri Radio on the state of the road, residents said successive governments and stakeholders have repeatedly promised to fix the roads but have failed to deliver on those commitments.

They said the excessive dust generated over the years by vehicles using the unpaved road had affected their eyesight and was also creating tension in his marriage.

One of the residents, Alhaji Iddrisu Dauda said “My sight is blurred because of the dust from the road. My wife even threatens to leave me. We don’t want the truth; otherwise, this road would have been constructed.”

Another resident, Halitu Issah, accused politicians of deceiving the people with repeated promises to address the road problem.

She said the poor road network was hindering development in Danku and argued that successive governments could have completed the road gradually if they had undertaken sections of it during their respective terms.

“If successive governments were tarring the road, even two miles each time, the road would have been completed by now,” she said.

Mr Issah added that the community was prepared to support efforts to improve the road, including contributing towards fuel for road works if the assembly requested such assistance.

“If the assembly even asks the community to contribute for them to buy fuel to do the road, we will embrace it,” she said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Bashit Issahaque expressed disappointment with the political leadership, saying residents had consistently supported political parties during elections without seeing corresponding development in the community.

He said the continued neglect of the road had left residents questioning the benefits of their political participation.

“We vote massively during elections, but for the past few years, we have realised that the parties do not favour us. It is clear politics has no benefit to us,” he said.

Mr. Issahaque further suggested that the community’s political neglect could be linked to the fact that none of the politicians represented in government originates from Danku.

He therefore called for the road to be given urgent attention, stressing that improved road infrastructure would contribute significantly to the development of the community.