When the idea of moving Nigeria’s capital city from Lagos to Abuja was conceived in the late 1970s, it was believed that the new capital city would be less congested and neater than Lagos that seemed so crowded and grimy so much so that it fell short of international standard of what a country’s capital should be.
The perception, as encapsulated in the Abuja Master Plan, was a world-class capital that would match those of USA, England, Japan and Germany, among others that are near perfect in terms of tidiness and orderliness.
Never was it thought to be a city where refuse dumps would be competing in height with one of the tallest mountains, let alone being overcrowded like the Old Oshodi in Lagos State.
We concede that in the first few years after it finally became the nation’s capital from 1986 during the regime of Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, there was an appreciable level of orderliness and neatness. However, the same cannot be said of Nigeria’s capital city. It has been characterised by seemingly irreversible inclination to why it took over from Lagos as capital city, which are congestion and filthiness. Several mountains-like refuse dumps beautify the city, especially in the area councils. The situation has become a source of worry to successive administrations of the Federal Capital Territory and residents of the area.
In the circumstances, residents of Kubwa 2 Extension, Bwari Area Council of the FCT, have cried out to the administration of the council over what they called “life-threatening refuse heaps”. They urged the council to save them from the looming danger that may result from the mountainous garbage dump. This, they said, the council could do by evacuating the garbage mass along the Kubwa-Dutse Road which is causing health hazard to the people.
In a chat with our correspondent, most of the residents said the garbage has piled for a very long time, adding that there was need for the council to evacuate it as the stench oozing out of the heap was becoming unbearable.
One of the residents, Ike Eguna, said the area was not the best place to be designated a garbage dump as it was along the road, stressing that people pass through there breathing in the bad odour.
“The garbage heap is along the road. Most people pass through there to church and when we do, we don’t always feel comfortable. We have to pass the area in a rush. It is rather disgusting and one is scared of the health hazard it might cause to people,” he said.
Another resident, Gonu Boku, pleaded with the council to designate another areawhere people could be dumping their garbage. He added that very soon the garbage heap will make the road impassable.
“When that happens, I don’t know what we will do. It is already happening.
We are calling on the council authorities to help in evacuating it before the situation becomes worse,” he said.
Another resident, Hassana Muhammed, added that the mai bolas had made matters worse at the area as they travel from all parts of Kubwa and
Dutse to pill refuse there, adding that there was need for the mai bolas to be shown the designated venues where they could dump the garbage.
