Fred Itua
Late General Ramat Murtala Mohammed on February 3, 1976, announced that the decision of the Federal Government to move the capital of Nigeria from Lagos. Twentyfour hours later, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Act came into existence. More than 40 years after its creation, challenges still abound.
When the architects of the FCT, Abuja, conceived the notion of a modern city, it did not envisage that someday, hoodlums, petty kidnappers, street urchins, food vendors, herdsmen and all manner of criminals will overrun the city.
Sadly, the once beautiful city is becoming a shadow of its old self. According to the 2006 census, Abuja had a population of 776,298, making it one of the 10 most populous cities in Nigeria.
According to the United Nations, Abuja grew by 139.7 percent between 2000 and 2010, making it the fastest growing city in the world. As of 2015, the city had experienced an annual growth of at least 35 percent, retaining its position as the fastest-growing city on the African continent and one of the fastest growing in the world. As of 2016, the metropolitan area of Abuja was estimated at six million persons, placing it behind only Lagos, as the most populous metro area in Nigeria.
Despite the glowing attributes of the city, there are fears that it is fast becoming a repeat of Lagos, Nigeria’s former capital city. The existing infrastructure can no longer accommodate the growing influx of people from different troubled parts of the country.
For instance, traffic lights in many interjections across the city have given way. Although efforts are being made to fix them, the chaos it has created cannot be quantified. Everyday, major, but preventable accidents are recorded in Abuja, where traffic lights would have solved the problem.
Similarly, Abuja has become a perfect example of a dark city whenever the sunsets. Major roads, streets and boulevards, wear scary looks because streetlights are not working. They have either been vandalised or have outlived their usefulness.
This development on its own, has added to the myriads of challenges facing the city. Daughters of Eve and criminals, hide under the cover of darkness to ply their ignoble trades. Cars are being snatched, girls robbed and raped, parked vehicles vandalised and innocent bystanders attacked.
Until 2015, it was a taboo to see cows roaming the streets of Abuja. Today, it has become a misnomer when you drive through the city and you don’t behold cows competing for right of place on major highways and roads.
The fear of herdsmen has become the beginning of wisdom for Abuja motorists. These herdsmen do not restrict their pasture to certain places. They are found in front of the FCT Administration office, Federal Secretariat, Three Arms Square and highbrow neighbourhoods. The herdsmen threaten you when you complain.
“One chance” has become a way of life in Abuja’s changing face. Day in, day out, residents recount ordeals in the hands of ritualists and “one chance” merchants. Arrests are seldom made y security agencies.
The latest trend is food vending in Abuja. Street food selling in Abuja is now a venture many unemployed Nigerians are getting into, most especially women. The business is now virtually on every street in the FCT, even areas like Asokoro and Garki where activities like that are not allowed.
Daily Sun spoke with some food vendors in Garki, Area 11, just a stone throw from the Police Headquarters. One of the food vendors who gave her name as Comfort, said: “This street was not opened for food vendors from the onset. Police officers chase us everyday.
“Then we started coming at night from 6 till 10 to 11 thereabout. Now we are allowed to do our business anytime. Honestly, we are all lucky because now, police officers are our major customers.
“They come with their trucks from their headquarters to buy food. Apart from food, we also have people that sell drugs, mobile pharmacy, Akara and fried yam sellers, roasted plantain sellers, alcohol and cigarette sellers and many more.”
It was also discovered that these food vendors do not only mount their trade on the road, but also target buildings under construction. A visit to Asokoro, Innocent Nwoga Street, a vendor said: “I have been doing this business for more than two years now. My husband is a labourer; he helps me mount my food business in houses he has business with. Sometimes, he becomes close to the owner of the house, sometimes with supervisors. I sell food to labourers like my husband.”
Hamisu Mohammed, a labourer, said: “Food vendors have been around since and I have been patronizing them. I stay at Nyanya and with the nature of my job, I eat at home once in a while; that makes me work late at night because there has been arrears payment that would make us stress ourselves and work harder. I am always tired, but I don’t have any other source of income and I can’t starve as well.
“I have had stomach upset many times from these food vendors, but I have no choice because it is just N200 for a plate of rice and a piece of meat. Swallow with a piece of meat is N250, N200 if you are close to the person selling it. Many of these restaurants do the same. They just garnish your meal inside air conditioned room with clean fork and knife without knowing about the dirty work going on behind the curtain.”