Abuja through my Eyes

The second prize winning piece in our writing competition by Okpanachi Ichapi
 

It is with nostalgia that I recount my first trip to Abuja, our beautiful Federal Capital city. I still remember how I could not sleep the night before my journey with my dad.

My dad, who was tired of moving the family from one state to another due to transfers at his job, was on another transfer engagement from Kaduna to Abuja. This time he decided not to move the family with him to Abuja and this provided an opportunity for vacations during school holidays.

On this particular, day sometime in 2001 after my secondary school education, I left Kaduna for Abuja around 4pm with my dad and arrived around 7pm. I remembered been struck by the array of streetlights that lined the streets and highways of the beautiful city and the gigantic mansions. 

My appreciation of how beautiful Abuja was started on the second day of my time in the city when I decided to take a stroll from the Minister’s Hill in Maitama to the National Assembly complex at the Three Arms Zone. I was filled with awe at the major construction going on all over. 

The smooth, well paved, clearly marked roads adorned with flowers and flyovers scattered all over made me wonder if I was still in Nigeria. Abuja is a world class city, a city of bureaucrats with beautiful scenery, serene environment, gardens, Five star hotels and relaxation centres, but it lacks the hustle and bustle of Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria. 

To some, Abuja is one of the most expensive cities in Africa and I must say that they are not far from the truth. No wonder so many beautiful and completed but unoccupied estates dot the landscape of the city because they are simply out of the means of the ordinary citizens. Highbrow areas of Maitama and Asokoro are exclusively preserved for the rich and mighty of the society.

Despite the high costs of living, there are so many things I like about the Federal Capital city. I like how planned it is with good roads, road signs and flyover interchanges that makes movement around the city easier and more enjoyable. So driving around the city during the weekends is always a delight because of less human and vehicular traffic. 

The beautiful gardens and entertainment centres like the Millennium Park, Silverbird Entertainment centre, Ceddi Plaza, Jabi Lake environ, Eden Park at Utako and neighbourhood parks scattered all over the city are places one could go relax and have fun during weekends after a stressful weekdays. 

Those that love clubbing are not left out in the scheme of things as there are numerous night clubs like Cubana, Sofa Lounge, Aqua and Safari to cater to their extravagance. There are also neighbourhood shopping centres besides the major markets located around the neighbourhoods, which makes shopping easier and closer to where people live. These centres are the meeting points of each neighbourhood where people of different cultures and class meet.

Equally, the city of Abuja is not all about beauty, as not everything works well. There are still some developmental challenges that do not befit its status. The issue of proper waste disposal is still a common eyesore as one move around the city. The city centre is a little better compared to the satellite towns of Kubwa, Nyanya, Mararaba and others. 

The distortion of the Abuja master plan is still going on as people don’t adhere to the plan thereby posing serious environmental problems. Buildings are still been constructed on drainage and sewage lines, and this leads to the flooding of the city at times. They also building on areas designated as green areas, thereby altering the eco system of the city.

There is a sense of security around the capital city due to the presence of security personnel looking smart in their uniforms patrolling every nook and cranny of the city. But the indiscriminate blocking of roads by security agencies around government buildings contradicts that sense of security for the people and tourists who flock into the city of Abuja.

It is disheartening to say that a city like Abuja still lacks a comprehensive transport policy that incorporates other forms of transportation within the city. It lacks modern rail transportation, compared to other major capital cities of the world. A modern rail across the city centre and connected to all the satellite towns will reduce the road traffic we experience everyday all over the city. 

But thank God, something is been done about it with the proposed Abuja light rail system so as to give inhabitants travel choices and lessen the pressure on our roads. The issue of road side hawkers along major roads in the capital city also robs Abuja of its status as a modern city. The Nyanya-Mararaba road comes to mind as snacks to drinks and household wares are hawked on the road. The administrators of the city should empower these roadside hawkers so as to rid them from the roads because they endanger themselves and other road users.

If wishes were horses, I would wish that everybody that resides in the city do their part in making Abuja what it should be. I would wish that the master plan be maintained and adhered to. I would wish that housing is made affordable and available so as to give everyone a sense of belonging. I would wish that the development of the satellite towns is taken seriously by providing the much needed infrastructural amenities. I wish for an Abuja of our dreams, a well developed city. God Bless Nigeria.