Tungan Mallam Hassan meaning the town of Mallam Hassan came into existence about 100 years ago.?
The father of the community, Mallam Hassan who died about 50 years ago found the place and named it after him.
He had first settled in Tungan Tsaka but being a man who needed a comfortable environment for his family, he moved to Shenagu and finally settled in his very own place.
History has it that Mallam Hassan had three children, Salihu, Kande and Dikko but before he? died, he made it known to all that another relation, Mallam Mohammed Abdullahi should take over the mantle of leadership from him.
But 50 years after his death, and a hundred years after he found and settled in Tungan Mallam Hassan, the small settlement is yet to have a taste of the good things of the city which they hear about.
Located only a few kilometers from Zuba, the people of Tungan Mallam Hassan still yearn for the social amenities that make life comfortable and enjoyable.
The village head of this community, Mallam Mohammed Abdullahi? told LEADERSHIP that as a leader, he was of the firm belief that the problem of the village would be solved a great deal if access roads are constructed.
Abdullahi who proudly says that his community and those around him can be called food baskets says his people are predominantly farmers who cultivate yam, guinea corn, soya beans, cassava and even rice and that if there was access to market the farm produce, the village would develop in no time.
“We are not hungry. We are farmers and we like to work. We cultivate so many things. We have the energy to work. We don’t complain when we see work. We just need access road to take our products to Zuba and its environs, places that need them. Sometimes, we will have our produce worth N5000 and to transport it, the motorist we get might ask for N3000. What then is our gain?’’
Abdullahi believes that with access roads, their products would be taken outside to people that need it while those who want to buy wholesale can come to the village to get the farm produce straight from the farm.
Another problem that worries the village head is the problem of education.
Abdullahi says the children in the community have to trek to the nearby village, Shenagun to get to the closest primary school while those in secondary schools have to go as far as Zuba.
“Some of the children rear cows but even as they do, they are so eager to learn but there are no places such as nomadic education centres that can meet the needs of such children,’’ he added.
A town that deeply relies on hear-say and radio (for those who can afford it) for report of news, Tungan Mallam Hassan has never experienced electricity. The villagers light their lamps when it is dark and pray for the day electricity would come to the village, even if to experience the epileptic supply witnessed by many in the nation.
“We have to go to Zuba to charge our mobile phones and a few who can afford power generators use them but since the removal of fuel subsidy, I have not hears the sound of a generator here,” Abdullahi said.
The people of the community also rely on a single borehole for their water needs which makes many wonder what would be their fate if the borehole suddenly packs up.??????
“We get our water from streams too. We have tried to dig wells around our community but it seems we are not destined to have wells because our environment is surrounded with stones which makes it difficult for digging and for water to come out,” Mohammadu, one of the youths in the community told LEADERSHIP.
To complete the saying that most Nigerians have become local governments of their own, the people of Tungan Mallam Hassan take care of their security needs by organising youths to form vigilante groups for the community.
Though the villagers take care of their security, one problem they cannot take care of, Mallama Amina one of the mothers in the community says is access to quality health care which she said they could only get when they travel to Zuba.
“As a mother, it pains me a lot. When one is sick or during pregnancy we have to think about the journey we have to go with the bad road and everything. The road is even better now, during the rainy season, it is worse. It is a nightmare for us.”
The councillor representing Ikwa Ward in Gwagwalada Area Council, Umar Dambai who spoke to LEADERSHIP explained that Tungan Mallam Hassan is among the eight villages in the ward whose major problem is access roads.
He said, “Everything the village head said is the truth. We are suffering here. We have at least eight villages and all the eight villages are experiencing the same problem. We have problem of road. The villages don’t have roads at all and all their occupation is farming. The problem then is how they will sell their farm produce after harvesting.”
Dambai explained that the area council had a lot of villages in need of access roads and added that the problems of the area council require federal government intervention.
Speaking further, he added, “We thank God, we have a chairman who is doing well in the provision of portable water and health centres. He built a clinic in Ikwa Central and as you know, Gwagwalada Area Council has a lot of villages. Even Gwagwalada central has its problems too.
We need the federal government to assist this area council. The problems we are experiencing here are beyond the power of the area council.”
Communities such as Tungan Mallam Hassan abound in the FCT and how soon basic amenities get to them is yet unknown.