• How residents cope with the odds in satellite towns of the federal capital city
GIVEN its ambience and meticulous physical planning, many observers are quick to describe Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory as the closest the country has come to building a modern, organised and functional cityscape. The centre indeed boasts a solid network of roads with beautiful sidewalks and lush tree-lined boulevards.
The extent of planning and details would definitely give first time visitors the impression of a picturesque landscape with green areas and an abundance of recreational spaces. But that is where all the sweetness ends. Such visitors would have a different impression should they experience the reality in some of the satellite towns of the capital.
In the face of high cost of rent and living in major districts of the capital city, many people who work or do business in the centre prefer to live in the outskirts. Every day, they commute from the suburbs to the city centre. The main reason is to significantly cut cost of living.
As expected, the search for cheaper rent and less expensive land for home ownership have led to an explosion of population in the towns on the outskirts of the capital. From the city centre, a normal drive to the area without the challenge of traffic snarls takes no more than 20 minutes.
RECENTLY, Naija Times visited some communities in Mararaba, a sprawling conurbation adjoining the capital. The visit brought to the fore a number of challenges faced by residents.
Infrastructure: many of the communities lack proper access roads, making commuting difficult and extremely challenging. What is even more apparent is the total absence of local governance, forcing residents to embark on haphazard, underfunded and poorly coordinated self-help projects. Such self-help interventions range from construction of drainages, culverts and palliative works to make roads passable.
The infrastructure deficit, especially the lack of access roads and drainages, has a multiplier effect on the overall landscape of the communities. For instance, taking advantage of the absence of base infrastructure, layouts and plans outlining the proper patterns to follow for development of the areas are easily flouted.
It is also very easy given the near-absence of local governance for unscrupulous interests to encroach on spaces, which should have been set aside for development of green areas and recreational facilities. The result is many of the areas have increasingly taken on the shape of concrete jungles with houses built up, while there are no spaces in-between for other purposes.
Tijani Abubakar, a resident of Angwa Hashimu, one of the fast developing communities along the axis played down the concerns about the haphazard and sprawling rise of unplanned settlements. He said: “Nobody is talking about green areas or recreational places. People are only interested in where to lay their heads. We all know how expensive it is to rent a house in town (FCT). So anybody coming here is more interested in having an accommodation that is cheap. Those other things you are mentioning are not even considered.”
Security: With a high rate of violent crimes such as armed robberies, muggings, and burglary, residents have learnt not to rely on an overstretched and under resourced federal police, which may not be readily available when needed. To secure their spaces, residents engage the services of local vigilante outfits. These informal security providers mainly move round communities at night to create a presence, at least to deter criminal gangs from moving in to carry out their nefarious activities.
Sanitation: Plastic pollution is rife in these communities with little or no functional systems for waste disposal. A recent study by scholars in the Department of Geography at the Nasarawa State University found that in areas such as Mararaba and Masaka, solid waste generated remained for days or weeks without been evacuated and that containers used for waste collection are not adequate. It was also found that many residents dispose their solid waste in open dumpsites or burn them.
Environmental activists and experts have repeatedly warned that these methods of getting rid of waste have severe effects on the environment. The challenge of waste disposal remains a major issue, especially in the unplanned inner settlements of the sprawling area.
Power supply: It was learnt that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) which covers Nasarawa as well as the capital does very little to improve the infrastructure on the ground. Many residents complained that key equipment such as electric poles, and aluminum cables which were used to connect the electricity in their homes were bought by them (residents). In many other communities, the transformers serving the communities were purchased through self-help. Even the maintenance of such equipment is the responsibility of the communities.
Nonetheless, these challenges have not dampened the enthusiasm and preferences of those who have chosen to avoid the astronomically cost of living in the capital.
Another resident summed up the general attitude of defying the odds thus: “I know there are challenges for the people in these communities. It is true that the entire area is crying for good governance. But for me, it is better to face these challenges and save some money than to squander all I earn trying to live the big life in town. I also see these challenges as opportunities. The population in the area is also an opportunity for business. So it is not only about challenges, it is also about what we can make of the opportunities.”
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