Lack of basic amenities is a constant pain in Abuja’s suburbs but add to it the seasonal torment of returning home after work on a dirt road in the night after a downpour. GRACE OBIKE reports
What is the worst headache of the Kubwa resident returning home from work at night after a downpour? It is getting a commercial motorcycle ride to such places as Byazhin, Paze or communities bordering Bwari. In describing what residents of these areas face, a resident who gave her name simply as Kate said, “The usual fare for motorcycle operators to take you to Byazhin Across or Paze is double or triple at night and more when it rains.”
According to her, the facial expressions of these transporters change once you ask to be taken to Across. Most of them will immediately tell you they are not going and if they decide to go, they will raise the fare to compensate for the stress of having to ride to a part of town with the worst road. In some cases even after being offered double the fare, the operators may refuse or drop the passengers off halfway.
Byazhin is a part of Kubwa, almost bordering Bwari.
The environment changes after the market, opening up to mighty potholes and a dusty road with sharp rocks marking the road, which sharply ends in a deep, gully-eroded valley and opens again onto an extremely dusty road that turns into traps for vehicles and motorcycles once it rains. Before you is an architectural chaos. Houses are built haphazardly, here and there and up the mountain, without a plan. This contrasts sharply with the picture of Abuja, the seat of federal power. The road is horrible.
A resident of Across who pleaded anonymity said, “They (government officials) always come to us in the area and tell each house to contribute N1000 for the repairs of the road but after we pay, they simply pack small sand and gravel, they pour it on the road, especially around the valley, then they wait for another year, to come and ask for another money.”
She also claims that it is the “big men” who own houses in the area that prevent the government from coming in and taking care of the road especially since most of the house owners do not have the necessary land documents.
The worst part, however, is beyond the muddy and eroded parts of Byazhin Across, towards the road leading to Paze, a community very close to Across, which for the first time in history celebrated electricity last year when a transformer was finally donated to them by an individual.
Paze is completely cut off from Kubwa and Abuja by a stream in which residents claim a man once drowned while trying to cross it after a heavy downpour.
A resident of Paze, Terfa Orbunde who spoke with the Nation said, “I’ve been in this area for more than two years, there is no government presence at all in Paze, neglect is an understatement, this part of town does not look like Abuja at all.
“When it rains, the road to Paze is almost impassable in a car, on a motorcycle or by foot; nobody is safe. Someone once drowned while crossing the stream after a heavy downpour. When it rains, especially in the evening it is impossible to get motorcycle operators that will bring you this far, you will have to walk from Kubwa, when you mention Paze, they speed away, they don’t even wait to say no and if they agree then be ready to pay double the fare.
“The government needs to remember that there is a community here also living in what I will describe as close to the state of nature save for the electricity that was donated by a good Samaritan. This is still Abuja but when you come from Kubwa, you get to Byazhin and come towards Paze, you will think that you are in a place worse than your village.”
Another resident Remi Adeleke talked about the experience her sister had recently. According to her, her younger sister who returned late from work last week while it was raining could not get an operator that would take her to Byazhin Across. When she realised it was getting late, she decided to walk home. Walking under the rain through muddy water, she arrived at the valley, climbed down the hill but at the bottom was too exhausted to continue uphill or turn around back where she had come from. Exhausted, she stood stuck at the bottom, unable to continue as other people walk past ignoring her, after standing for what seemed like hours, a kind-hearted resident who saw her asked her to hop into his car and he took her to her junction.
“She just could not move another step due to exhaustion,” Adeleke said. “Our road gets worse in the rainy season; if you don’t watch your steps, you could fall into a ditch and be lost forever.”
The daughter of the chief of Paze, Binta Ibrahim explained that Paze does not have clean water, they always buy the water they drink and use for household chores from private borehole owners. She also said that Paze does not have a school or clinic, they have to take walk for 20 or 30 minutes to the next community.
“Our children in secondary school go to Kubwa which is really far; we need road, clinic and schools in this community but mostly, we need water here because we pay the private borehole owners N20 to N25 for a gallon of water, we need help.”
Assistant Coordinator, Coalition of FCT Indigenous Groups Association, Dalhatu Musa in a chat with newsmen said that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) natives no longer want a city centre minister that focuses on developing elite parts of Abuja while satellite towns and rural areas suffer.
There are places in this FCT that you will not believe are in the FCT, you will think you are in an IDPs camp, why? Because we have a political head whose only concern is the city centre.”
