Charity Nwakaudu

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FTC), Abuja, are groaning under extreme weather making them uncomfortable to engage in their daily activities or even sleep at night. And things are getting tougher by the day.

They have claimed that it makes them to spend more money on generators and fuelling cars. Some said they now spend extra time lounging in front of their homes at nights to avoid excessive heat.

Jennifer Akor, a resident of Kuje, said: “This heat is terrible. I have cut my hair and changed my wardrobe to match the climate. It seems not to be working because I am still not comfortable. I have reduced the application of body moistures.

“Some days, I don’t even use anything at all both make-up because before I am done from the bathroom, I am already sweating. I wish I could permanently stay under the air conditioner but where is the power supply, which is the most annoying aspect?”

Amina Ameh, a pregnant woman, lamented: “It has not been easy for me with my condition. I get too hot that I have to use the air conditioner in my car to the maximum always which incurs more expenses. Apart from fuelling the car, which consumes more because of the constant use of air conditioner, the generator is still there.

“Sleeping is still a problem. I spend most of my nights lying outside because after a while the room will become hot and even the water from the tap is very hot like it is from the fire. I pour water on my body more than three times before dawn.

“It has made me to be taking a lot of water during the day to reduce the stress from the heat and put on light clothes with short sleeves, still it is not helping matters. What is left for me to do is to start moving about the way I was created by God.”

Another resident, John Akogwu of Jabi, attributed his late nights to the weather: “It is not like I enjoy staying outside at night but this heat is the cause. You take your bath several times, still no remedy.

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“I have learned to hang out with friends at drinking joints to cool my body before going home but it is still not the solution to the problem. I was robbed of my phone and the little money that was with me one night.

“I have resolved a means of going out without my big phone and money. The sleeping outside also has its own disadvantages, so we make sure our doors are locked.”

Sesugh Andrew from Nyanya said: “The excessive heat has pushed me to staying out till late hours before finally coming home to meet my household. We now sleep outside because the temperature is unbearable. Even outside, there is still no air.

“It seems as if someone locked the air and took the keys away. You take your bath several times before daybreak, still, it is as if you are in hell. I wonder how people who are staying in far north are doing now.

“The most annoying part is of the children. They keep crying as if you are the cause or you can change the situation, not knowing that you are also experiencing the same plight with them. Another thing is that some bad eggs now see this as a chance to dispossess people of their belongings.

“There is no single day that passes without you hearing that they either gently entered someone’s room while they were sleeping outside or they woke him up and ask him to give them his phones and other things. The case of my family was not exempted.

“One fateful night, I was outside with my family. Some bad boys woke us up, collected our phones and asked of my account balance. When I opened it for them, it was only a thousand naira.

“They slapped me that I was very stupid, that as big as I am that was the only money I had. Thank God it was only phones that they collected and nobody was hurt apart from the dirty slap I received.”