SADOH MS' Blog: See Some Dirty Parts Of Abuja City You Can Never Imagine! (Pictures)

Sequel to our previous story about the wrong impression the people outside Abuja hold as realism about the city of Abuja, this piece of story is a further revelation about the environmental ill and status of the city. As probably the newest city in Nigeria doubling as the nation’s capital, the major impression of many people outside the city is still centred on the imagination of the city as being freed or devoid of any usual associated Nigerian norm of messing environment in akin with many cities and towns.

A dirty spot pot-hole at the back of Utako Market, Abuja

Recently, we have conducted a survey around the city to ascertain how really the city can be termed ‘clean and model.’ From Garki to Garki 2; from Wuse to Wuse 2; from Maitama to Asokoro; from Utako to Jabi; from Apo to Wuye; certainly, we could not imagine our diverting and unexpected discovering. Aside from the Central Business District (CBD), which has been kept on sanitation alert, other areas have one or more common elements with the normal settings of a typical Nigerian towns and cities. All thanks go to a former FCT Minister who is now the current governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, who stooped to the ground to rip the city off its intending defacement and ghetto tendency by inhabitants during his ministerial tenure. One could still recall the ghetto status the spots such as Berger Junction, Mabushi, Banex Junction, Area 1 Junction etc, had almost metamorphosed into before the sturdy and courageous intervention by the minister to cleanse such rot and dirt off the city. If such bold bog of action was not initiated and executed by the then minister, by now, all those spots as mentioned above could have remained a no friendly zones to all law-abiding residents and visitors of the city.

Moreover, the same length of kudos should be extended to the subsequent ministers, who did not deviate from the standards of environmental cleansing and sanity as set up by the el-Rufai administration. Before el-Rufai sturdy move, Berger Junction was almost a centre of operation for ruffians and hoodlums such as pickpockets, street molesters, drug addicts etc; even in broad day light. At Banex Junction, the same fate of hooligans’ harassment and hoodlums assault, were the regular omen and ordeal of the city visitors and residents at that spot. In those days, you would have to hold tight to the wallet in your pocket with your hands as you walk at these spot. It was almost turning to the position of old Oshodi and Idumota hoodlums status before Governor Fashola cleansing and sanity initiative.

A dirty spot of spillage in Utako, Abuja

If Abuja ill conditions were allowed to fester in those nonchalance ordeal, hoodlums pervasiveness and environmental defacement for too long, today, nobody would have held the impression of cleanliness and comfort for the city. The efforts and prowess of the ministers to get rid of mobs and hoodlums from Abuja, is what inhabitants from other parts of Nigeria now capitalize on, to label the city a ‘European city in Nigeria’. People and inhabitants from other parts of the country still input their mindsets with the belief that Abuja is a ‘distinct city of cleanliness’ in Nigeria. To them, there is nothing like dirty spot or rough part in Abuja; there can never be the presence of common petty traders as bolé sellers or roasted yam vendors; there cannot be mama put or buka... To them, Abuja is a well planned city out of Nigeria context but in akin with American or European cities context which is conductively in alignment with such context and design. Certainly, it is obvious that they do not know what actually is the position of Abuja as a ‘still Nigerian city.’

What is not in exposition to the non-inhabitants about the city of Abuja is that, there is the presence of all other activities and odd spots as present in other Nigerian cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri, Benin City, Onitsha, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Ibadan, Yola etc. In Utako District and Jabi, the common sight of roasted yam sellers and plantain, is witnessed in the streets. At the back of Utako Market, there are uncommon pot-holes on the centre of the road right behind the market. At Zone 5 Wuse, the common sight of bolé cum roasted yam sellers is all around the vicinity. In Garki 2, there are several different spots occupied by mama put to execute their daily business of local food to make ends meet. This kind of mama put and bukas are all over other Abuja districts like Jabi, Garki Area 11 and Area 8, Wuse 2 etc. There are spots like refuse dump corners and some liquid waste spill along the road in certain streets in places like Asokoro, Wuse 2, Utako, Jabi, Wuse, Garki 2, Wuye etc. On a contrast with the common ‘belief by strangers,’ electricity power outage is also common in Abuja as it is with other cities and towns of Nigeria. There are certain locations in Wuse 2 which main source of power supply is regularly through generator sets. It is only during the appraised period of increase power supply this year, that such areas had some relief in electric power consumption. In the side of water supply, several locations in the city of Abuja are relying on locally made boreholes for their daily water supply. Even the major areas where pipes borne water are properly channeled for water supply, there are times the pipes refuse to disperse water for house or commercial use.

Abuja is a city with different adjectives. To the dwellers, it is just like a normal city in Nigeria as nothing seems relatively different in the outlook of the city aside the notion as the only city where the country’s President and federal legislators reside. On the other hand, those who are not residence or visitors of the city, see it as a haven of comfort and enjoyment; a European city in Nigeria and dirty or abnormalities free city...

Below are some of the eyewitness images taken from different locations in the city of Abuja during our survey: