Daily life and living has not been easy for residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Basic social amenities that ought to make life easier and comfortable are absent, contrary to the belief of many people outside the city (Abuja).
In addition, the infrastructures are becoming highly stretched because of population explosion without corresponding measures to attend to the needs of new entrants in the city.
New estates, plazas, businesses, offices and other opportunities have sprung up across different locations in Abuja in recent times. Nigerians who have not visited Abuja for the first time might find it unbelievable that Abuja, being the seat of government, is lacking in several basic facilities that should have justified the claim that Abuja is one of the fastest growing cities in world.
But through the mirror, Abuja is seen by many Nigerians outside Abuja as the Washington DC or New York of Nigeria, due to the recognition it enjoys in the socioeconomic affairs and discussions of the nation, in addition to images of skyscrappers, clean roads, gardens and parks shown on televisions and pages of newspapers.
Social media platforms added to the matter because of pictures shared by individuals, which were taken using the beautiful backgrounds of posh cars, mansions, green areas and several other beautiful locations in Abuja.
No doubt, Abuja was built with the best of architectural masterpieces that defined a world-class city. So far, Abuja is adjudged the city in Nigeria with the best road network that aids free movement of people and vehicles, thus enhancing daily socio-economic activities.
From all indications, Abuja was designed to accommodate different classes of people, irrespective of financial and social status. But social and financial status determines area of residence, shopping, relaxation and several others. In Abuja, your financial status determines your lifestyle.
Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape, Garki, Lifec Camp, Wuse 2 and other similar locations are occupied by the elite who can afford the high cost of living therein. Residents of these locations enjoy regular attention from the FCT Administration in terms of regular road maintenance, power, water and other amenities provided by the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), which is responsible for the management of Abuja.
Low and middle class residents are pushed to less developed areas like Gwarimpa, Apo, Lokogoma, Kubwa, Karu, Jikwoyi, Nyanya, Lugbe, Kuje and similar locations. These locations get little or no attention from the government. They are faced with irregular electricity supply to power their homes or run their small businesses. That had partly been responsible for low or poor economic life in these places.
But, generally, Abuja is faced with some challenges that have inflicted more pain and hardship on residents, forcing some people to resort to crime or other illegal activities for survival.
Hooliganism
Something abnormal is happening in Abuja. Some persons, mostly able-bodied young men, are on the verge of making Abuja uncomfortable for residents, particularly motorists. They are gradually displacing traffic police officials and other constituted authority at some locations in Abuja, particularly motor parks.
This set of people have taken the law into their hands outrightly “calling the shots” at several public places unchecked, with the excuse that they are assisting the state officials to do their work of maintaining sanity on busy Abuja roads.
They have formed strong cliques and are now “lords” at the major bus stops and other strategic transit points in Abuja. They are conspicuous at Nyanya, Area 3 and 1, AYA, Berger, Utako, Jabi, Dutse Alhaji and several other locations in Abuja where people converge to board public vehicles.
They unleash terror on innocent motorists and other commuters, particularly new entrants into the city with no idea of their locations and methods of operation.
The major targets of these people are private vehicle owners and other unknown faces that stop at certain locations to either pick or drop passengers. They harass, intimidate and extort huge amounts of money from these drivers.
Consequently, their illegal activities and harassment have discouraged these private vehicle owners, who complement the effort of limited commercial transport operators, in servicing the transport needs of millions of FCT commuters.
Surprisingly, some commuters sounded sure that the touts enjoyed the full support of state traffic officials, hence the increased boldness and confidence with which they operate, day and night.
As a result, bus stops and major transit points are crowded with passengers waiting for limited number of commercial vehicles to convey them to different locations in Abuja.
With the daily influx of people into Abuja, the FCT Administration and private commercial vehicle operators are unable to meet the transportation needs of residents, hence the intervention of the private car drivers.
According to motorists and commuters, the touts are responsible for distraction on the road, damage to cars as a result of scuffles with drivers which, in some cases, lead to accidents.
From observation, they ambush drivers on sight. While one would be struggling for the ignition key with the driver, others would jump into the car to vandalize the back seat or other important items in the car.
Surprisingly, the harassment, intimidation and extortion are done in the open, and in some cases the state traffic officials sit and watch from a corner, and that has justified the position of motorists and commuters that the traffic officials and touts work together.
A first-time driver in Abuja, who identified himself as Stanley Kemeni, said he was a victim of extortion. He told Daily Sun that he innocently pulled off the road at Nyanya, meters away from the bridge, to pick a friend who had wanted to go along with him to Central Area, Abuja.
“Suddenly, some guys from nowhere rushed into my car and were struggling to remove my car key. At first, I thought they were car snatchers. But on a second thought, I said they couldn’t have done that in an open place where there was a crowd. Before then, someone had removed my back seat without notice. When I asked them the reason for their action, they said I parked to pick ‘their passenger’.
“I explained and showed evidence to convince them that I parked to pick a friend that wanted to join me to Central Area, Abuja. They didn’t agree. They insisted I should pay N5,000 as fine before they released me. I pleaded with them but they ignored my plea. I ended up paying N2,000 after I had spent hours with them. It was a horrible experience,” he said.
A commuter who identified herself as Victoria also shared her experience. She said the activities of the touts were becoming unbearable to motorists in different locations in Abuja, suggesting that they should be checked by FCTA officials before assuming another dimension, the kind in Lagos.
She said her husband was seriously harassed, intimidated and abused at Area 3 Junction by the touts sometime ago. She said: “I joined him to work on that fateful day and he stopped at Garki Area 3 Junction for me to alight. Before he could say final words to me, two boys rushed in from where they were hiding. They struggled for the ignition key with him. They collected it from him as well as his back seat, jack and wheel spanner.
“His offence, according to them, was that he parked to a drop passenger as a private driver. They claimed that as a private vehicle owner, he was not supposed to pick or drop passengers there. All explanations that he dropped his fiancee obviously fell on deaf ears. He ended up giving them N3,000 before they released him.
“Most annoying part of the drama was that, while the altercation was going on, police patrol vehicle passed and my guy was flagging them down, they looked at him disgustingly and moved on.”
At Jabi Park junction, Durojaye Ibrahim said he was harassed by the touts who wanted to take advantage of him. He said: “I brought a friend to the park to board a night bus to Ibadan. On my way back, I parked around the Conoil filling station to greet a friend.
“From where I was, I saw some guys, obviously not state officials but touts, removing my number plate. I allowed them to finish and quietly called them to fix it back. They thought I was joking until I pulled out my discipline belt and pistol. They fixed it back with apologies.
“They took note of me since then and always salute me each time they see me around. Those guys are thieves who are specialized in harassing and extorting from people. Regrettably, evidence indicates that police operatives and other state officials are aware of their actions, but are doing nothing or little about it.”
Insecurity
The peace and serenity hitherto associated with Abuja are fast disappearing. Insecurity has become a major challenge.
Police and other security agents are having a running battle curbing insecurity in Abuja, which seems to be at the receiving end of the high insecurity in the North East and North West. People with different ideologies and intentions enjoy unhindered access to Abuja.
A few weeks ago, fear and anxiety enveloped the city as a result of a terror alert issued by the US and UK embassies in Abuja. The fear heightened when Canada, Ireland, Australia and several other nationals were asked to temporarily vacate the city alongside their family members, and those who couldn’t should be extra careful in their movement and other public engagements.
In addition to that, the ’ember months’ and election period are here again, and, as expected, the wave of crime has risen, putting police and other security agencies on their toes. Individuals have also taken responsibility for their own security to complement the efforts of the security agencies.
Armed robbers who operate as taxi drivers and beggars have also arrived with new approaches to “kill their game.” They are on the loose to make quick money from some unlucky or careless people as the yuletide and election seasons approach.
Daily, cases of car theft, pickpocketing, hooliganism, kidnapping for ransom and other criminal activities are recorded and the police seem to be overwhelmed. Minister of FCT, Muhammed Bello, has empowered the police with different tools to ensure they secure the territory but residents have continued to suffer harassment and attacks by the criminals.
In 2016, Nigeria’s economy went into recession, which lasted several months. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic came with devastating effects on the socio-economic life of Nigerians. Unexpected hardship was visited on the people. Several small and medium enterprises (SMEs) couldn’t survive the harsh business environment and were forced to shut down. The consequence was job losses and hardship. Those who could not secure another job opportunity took to crime to make ends meet.
Roads turn death traps
Several roads in Abuja have become death traps for motorists. Officials of the FCTA have gone into coma in terms of road repairs and other infrastructural maintenance. Driving from one end of the city to another, motorists are compelled to move with utmost care to maneuver their way against the increasing and expanding potholes and manholes.
The FCT Administration had accused scavengers (Baban bola) of being responsible for the missing manhole covers. While the potholes on the roads in Abuja city centre get deeper by the day, the ones in satellite towns get worst because of the substandard materials used to build the roads in the first place.
Some of the roads have also been neglected for years. Unfortunately, many lives have been lost as a result of avoidable accidents caused by these potholes, especially among first-time visitors who neither expect potholes on Abuja roads nor knew their different locations so as to avoid them.
Every morning, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), police and other security agencies struggle to remove vehicles that might have somersaulted or fallen into roadside bushes or drainages while trying to dodge the potholes.
A road traffic official who pleaded anonymity said that the recent rehabilitation work at AYA-Nyanya road was a saviour: “Before then, I witnessed several accidents caused by the deep potholes in that road, especially at Kugbo.
“Each time I resume work early, I will be greeted by horrible incidences of smashed vehicles or the ones thrown off the road while the driver might be trying to avoid potholes. Indeed, the roads have become death traps for motorists, and the earlier the authorities responded to it, the earlier lives of motorists would be saved because Abuja is growing on a daily basis.”
Meanwhile, many communities and individuals have engaged in self-help to fix their roads to make them a bit motorable.
Poor public transportation system
Fuel scarcity has exposed the fact that the FCT has no coordinated public transport system that ought to service the interests of thousands of commuters who wish to move from one part of the city to another for socio-economic activities.
In the past seven years of Bello as FCT minister, little or no provision was made for public mass transport system as was the case during the times of former FCT ministers, Nasir El-Rufai and Bala Mohammed, who made huge investments in the procurement of high-capacity buses for commuters.
Hundreds of high capacity buses procured by former FCT ministers to service the transport needs of FCT residents have been “abandoned” at their various parks in Kubwa, Karu and other locations.
Over the years, FCT residents have relied on private vehicles to aid their movement from one point to the other during the morning and evening hours, a situation that created opportunities for criminal drivers, popularly known as “one chance,” to dispossess commuters of their belongings at gunpoint.
But during fuel scarcity, both the private vehicle owners and the few commercial vehicle owners are trapped at fuel stations, fighting and calling each other names, waiting endlessly for the opportunity to get fuel for daily activities. Interestingly, the impatient ones rely on roadside vendors, popularly called “black marketers,” for the product, which is expensive.
On October 1, 2006, El-Rufai announced the ban on the operations of the commercial motorcycle riders, otherwise known as Okada riders, within Abuja city centre.
The decision received wide criticism from residents who continued to stress the importance of the services of Okada riders in the city. But the minister insisted that their operations remained banned. The positive impact became visible for all a few years after.
On June 3, 2013, the then minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, approved the ban on the operations of mini buses otherwise known as “Araba” in the city centre. His reason was that they constituted traffic obstruction in the city. He then restricted their operations to the satellite towns.
More high capacity buses were procured to cushion the effects of the decision on the people. Unfortunately, many of the buses have broken down and been abandoned at different offices of the Abuja Urban Mass Transit Company, while commuters are daily subjected to unbearable hardship in the course of daily movement from one point to another.
Dark streets at night
Some journalists in their reports at different times have referred to Abuja as “Federal Darkness Territory” due to poor illumination of the city at night. Many parts of Abuja are thrown into pitch darkness at night, providing opportunities for men and women of the underworld to operate unhindered.
The development has exposed residents who walk on the lonely pedestrian walkways at night or early morning at the risk of being kidnapped, robbed, raped or facing other forms of harassment.
Traffic and street lights define cities due to the aesthetic value they bring.
“As the seat of the Nigerian government, streets and traffic lights ought to be functional at all times, especially at night, to support night life and not otherwise as being the case with Abuja,” Modupe Balogun said.
There are many traffic lights that are either not working at all or malfunctioning, thus causing confusion among motorists. The inability of the relevant FCT authorities to provide these services has significantly reduced the quality of nightlife in Abuja and given room for criminals to operate. Some residents have suggested that the street and traffic lights that rely on public power supply to function should be replaced with solar panels that would automatically power the street lights at night.
Burglary
Without doubt, no place is safe in Abuja. The effect of ongoing insurgency in the North is being felt in Abuja. The attack on officers of the Guards Brigade at Bwari months ago caused fear and anxiety among FCT residents.
In addition to that, people in satellite towns are daily faced with burglary, pickpockets, kidnapping and other criminal activities.
Vivian Adewole, who lives in Dutse Alhaji, said she had fallen victim to the activities of the criminal group operating around Berger. She narrated: “It was a few minutes to 7pm on a fateful Tuesday. I just closed work and was at the bus stop to get a vehicle to our destination when my phone rang.
“I was on call when someone snatched the phone from my hand and walked away. It was like a movie to me that someone could do such a thing in the view of a large number of people and no one responded.
“I followed him screaming, ‘Give me my phone’. Some other boys joined me in shouting. But I never knew that those boys shouting with me were together until myself and the boys followed him to an isolated place. That was when I discovered that they were group members. They asked me to cooperate with them or they would kill me. They waylayed me and emptied my bag before releasing me.”
Another victim, Susan James, claimed her own case was worst. She said: “It was around 7pm after I had closed from the market. As usual, people were struggling to enter a vehicle that was going to Mpape. A few minutes after we took off, the man beside me started shouting that the driver should stop the vehicle, claiming that he forgot something and wanted to go down.
“The driver quickly pulled off the road and he alighted. I never knew he had unzipped my purse and taken my money. It was when I got to my bus-stop in Mpape that it dawned on me what he did before alighting.”
Source: sunnewsonline
