Thomson Ndukwe

Jonas Onoja resided in one of the satellite towns of Abuja until four years ago when he and his family immigrated to Canada upon winning the Canadian Visa Lottery. He was all too glad to leave Abuja which as at then was a forest of rusty cranes stemming from the numerous uncompleted projects that littered the nooks and crannies of the city and in the grip of inadequate infrastructure. The situation was even made worse by traffic snarls at various junctions and intersects, insecurity and the bedlam created by the swarm of rickshaws (Kekenapep) and passenger motorcycles. Leaving for Canada was an answered prayer.

It has been four years since he left by which time he had begun to experience some homesickness. He decided to touch base to reconnect with family and friends. Arriving the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport aboard the KLM, he was first fascinated by the new international wing of the Airport. The running maze of cranes and raw concrete they had left on their way out had yielded space to a splendid architecture. While in Montreal, he had followed the controversy that trailed the closure and the upgrade of the airport runway. The Ministry of Aviation had kept its word to deliver within the promised timeframe. This is a plus any day, he thought.  The Airport had taken a new shape and Abuja, he thought, could unarguably be the aviation hub of West Africa. Upon emerging from the arrival hall he spotted Bolaji Ifelodun, his friend, who had come to pick him up from the airport. Hugs and banters exchanged, Jonas scanned the airport once more to soak in reminiscences of his homecoming.  Looking ahead, his saw a magnificent complex emblazoned with the sign, “Airport Terminal, Abuja Railway. “A modern railway station?” Jonas declared in utter surprise. “Enter car make we go?” Bolaji jibed.  “You think na only oyibo land de get train?”  Just for the couple of years he was out of town, Abuja had recorded dramatic changes.

As they made their way to the city, Jonas began to count infrastructure projects that were either commenced, completed or coasting home to final delivery. First in line was the erstwhile collapsing airport driveway – a.k.a Bill Clinton Drive along with its bridge and interchange. Turning to his friend, he recalled how that spot had been a major traffic snarl and made traveling out of the city a very challenging journey. Similarly, on both sides of the road, he noticed a growing allure of the city which was not there at the time he played the “Andrew number.” The Gateway Mall, the Legislative Institute, Nigerian Korean International School, Dunamis Dome and an array of modern housing estates.

“Haba,” Bolaji quipped “Na wao.” How come I have not quite taken note of these things and you are just noticing them upon your arrival, just like that?”

“That is human nature,” Jonas countered. “What do they call it in Nigeria? Errrm, yes, ‘See finish.’  Familiarity, you know, breeds contempt.”

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Bolaji is not alone in his dilemma. The humdrum of daily life always shades residents from the progress around them. Jonas, on his own, was fascinated with the expansive vista of alluring cityscape, growing magnificence of elegant skylines and a diadem of beautiful parks and gardens laced together by modern infrastructure.  There is no diminishing the fact that Abuja is Nigeria’s success story.  A modern city harvested from an erstwhile motley of pristine villages and a mosaic of aboriginal huts. He was elated to see the Independence and Constitution Avenues – the twin driveways bestriding the MKO Abiola National Stadium ending at the Three Arm Zone, as good as complete and how they have enhanced the radiance of the city.

Vehicles can now ply both roads on dual mode. On a drive around the city in the course of his stay, he observed other skillful touches which have spiced up Abuja’s mega city character. These include the east-end of the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Expressway leading to A.Y.A. It is the proverbial stitch in time that has saved nine.  The completion of the road facilitated easy drive to and from the heart of federal government business. Viewed from its eastern cardinal point, the city is a photographer’s delight.  Also close by, he observed the Aso Villa interchange and roundabout which has made for an easy detour onto the Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX) leading to Kubwa and Suleija Areas. It was not as easy as this in the past, he reminded himself.

Jonas had bought a parcel of land while in Abuja then. He decided to visit the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) to process his C of O. He could not navigate his way easily as a new network of infrastructure had been constructed which now connected the various government agencies and secretariats on this major government business hub, literarily the Abuja Government House. They comprise the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS), Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Council (ICRC) and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) among others. The excellent network is further complemented by the construction of the interchanges across the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Expressway which connects the Southern Parkway to Abuja’s Cultural Spine. This is the driveway which circles such critical centres as the National Mosque, Central Bank, Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Silverberg Entertainment Centre and the Yar-Adua Centre across the Jaiz Bank and Federal Ministry of Finance, among others.

One afternoon, after a particularly rainy day, Bolaji invited Jonas out for coffee at the Silverbird shopping mall. Jonas had hesitated a bit. He knew that area was rife with traffic congestion. He needed to free up time in order to keep up with another appointment. Pressured by his friend he gave in and was surprised that the place had become a one-way drive as a result of the completion of the Southern Parkway roads, bridges and interchanges.

As they sipped the Ethiopian coffee, from up the Silverbird high-rise, Bolaji used the opportunity to seize control of the conversation. He observed Jonas scanning the city from that lookout promontory. He was identifying new structures that had graced the Central Business District Skyline after the last time he saw it four years ago. The new entrants were the AFDB and the PPPRA towers, the new FIRS and World Trade Centre skyscrapers. When Bolaji regained his attention, Bolaji, cleared up his throat, and began telling him how residents await in confident anticipation the progress being recorded on the project for the dualization of the Apo Road.

Ndukwe writes from Durumi, Abuja.