Leadership (Abuja)
Lilian Agih
21 August 2008
analysis
Nyanya, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, is earnestly begging to look like Lagos city- the most congested city in the country. Our correspondent, Lilian Agih, was there recently and serves you the 'meat' of the story.
Sister, don't make noise o! Just remove your handsets and your wallet from your bag and hand them over to me quickly". I heard the quiet, but firm voice close to my ears. I turned slowly to face the voice and got a shocker. A boy, not more than 20 years of age, stood with a dagger in his hand. My first thought was to run, but as though he read my thoughts, he grabbed my hand firmly and put the Knife to my side. "If you move, …" he threatened. I was fast enough to reach a decision and handed over my handset and wallet. Then came the surprise. He flipped through the contents of my wallet and returned my ID card and ATM card. Next, he took out my SIM card from my phone and handed it over to me and took off with the speed of light. I was shocked and speechless. It was my first 'welcome' to Nyanya".
That was the story of Maria Audu, a resident of Nyanya. She told our reporter that the most touching aspect of this unforgettable incident was the boy's command of English language, and the manner in which he handed over some of her personal effects to her. "It shows that he is educated and has a conscience. I believe it is the lack of any gainful employment that is responsible for his actions. He looked so hungry and dirty", she said.
Nyanya is indeed beginning to look like a 'Lagos' in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), since the first sight you behold as you step into the place is that of teenagers hanging by the road side and harassing innocent passers-by. While this phenomenon calls for immediate attention, it is also pertinent to note that the under-developed nature of the town is quite worrisome as the presence of social amenities in the area is nothing to write home about. During a tour of Nyanya satellite town, this reporter noticed that there were no well-defined streets, drainages and even water, as well as poor supply of electricity.
What you find as streets in Nyanya are actually more of foot paths created by people with heaps of wastes and stagnant water right in the middle. Plying these 'streets' requires a great deal of energy since you have a lot of jumpings to do to avoid these hurdles. It is certainly a filthy and sickening sight to behold! A secret security agent in the area, who pleaded anonymity, spoke bitterly, "the environment is polluted. The problem is lack of drainages and waste bins. They allocate waste bins to the major towns only and forget about us. It makes the environment very dirty and unhealthy because it breeds mosquitoes." He explained that there is a permanent accumulation of stagnant water in the 'streets' because there are no drainages, saying that this is responsible for the frequent incidence of malaria in the area, especially among children. "Electricity supply has improved, but there is no water", he continued. We bathe with water from the well and buy drinking water from mai-ruwas. We don't even know how hygienic this water is, but we have no option. Government knows that there is need to improve the living standard of the people here; after all, majority of the F.C.T workforce resides here."
At the Area B section of the town, our reporter noticed, with shock, the collection of loads of rubbish which seems to have occupied permanent positions in the 'streets'. It is difficult to believe that it is a government residential area. Mr. Idoko, a resident, decried government's treatment of its subjects. According to him, "PHCN, in the last nine years, is nothing to write home about in the whole of Nyanya. At times, we get power supply just twice in a week and at the end of the week, we pay fat bills. We have met with the area manager who insists they are trying their best and that it is not their fault". You would agree with me that this 'best' is nothing near adequate since these residents pay their bills promptly.
Another resident of the area, Prince Jerry Sani, spoke on the issue of water. "Water has not flowed in this area for over fifteen years. We buy water from mai-ruwas for drinking. The truth is that the water is unhygienic, but the F.C.T. administration does not care about us", he lamented. He complained bitterly about the sanitary condition of the environment, stating that the absence of drainages in the area is 'evil' "I dug that gutter myself, but erosion is gradually destroying it now," he said pointing to a shallow trench carved out of the stony part which is beginning to give way to the pressure of rain water. "We have no roads in Nyanya. All the roads are bad and dirty. The people representing us are not doing anything. This is bad because a great population of the electorate are from Nyanya. We put them in office and when they get there, they forget about us and begin to pursue their own interests"., he concluded.
One Gideon, who denied knowledge of any representative of the area maintains that the major problem in Nyanya is lack of water and drainages. He said, "Water is a big problem because Nyanya as a whole has no pipe borne water. We drink water from bore-holes and we can't do anything about that. We are not even sure of the source of water from the mai-ruwas most times". He called on government to provide some major points of pipe borne water even if it can't be distributed to every home. This, according to him, will reduce the high incidence of Typhoid fever and Cough in the area. The absence of drainages, he said, is responsible for the outbreak of malaria in the Nyanya. He explained that he has already spent so much on persistent malaria. Gideon believes that it is only God that can salvage their situation since the people they elected into political offices to represent them are only concerned about satisfying themselves and their family members.
This reporter visited the Government-owned General Hospital in the area and spoke to a male nursing officer who gave his name simply as Mark. He expressed disappointment over the neglect being suffered by residents of Nyanya, saying that they deserve better treatment from the government since a large section of the residents are civil servants. Mr. Mark further decried the absence of potable water and drainages in the area. According to him, "The absence of potable water in Nyanya is making our job very difficult as most of the cases we treat those that of recurring Typhoid fever and Cough, most especially among children. Some of them even die from it. Government should create drainages because the water pollution around most of the houses in Nyanya is responsible for the upsurge in malaria fever cases in the area. We treat them and they still come back. It is really frustrating". He implored Government to, at least, provide a centrally located potable water for the people and construct major drainages in the area. Female resident of the area popularly known as God pikin, lamented bitterly: "Na wa o my sister, government just forget about us for here. Even this gutter wey we donate money to dig don dey close. U go pay money but you no go fit enjoy light and water na anoda mata". She called on Government to fufill their electoral promises and make life better and more meaningful for the people.
A traditional ruler, HRH, Obong Iberedem-Ndito Akwa-Ibom who resides in Nyanya area, told our reporter that, "There is no regular power supply in Nyanya as a whole and PHCN keeps telling us stories. Government should look into the power sector to ensure equitable distribution of power. Several Nigerians use generators, but the fumes from the engines are dangerous and should be avoided". On the issue of water, the Obong said he has never tasted pipe borne water in Nyanya. He also said something should be done about the bad roads, even as he condemned the attitude of environmental workers in the area.
"Environmental officers do not come to this area. We do not have plastic refuse bins, so we use baban-bola. It has led to pollution in the area and when an environment is polluted, it breeds malaria and other sicknesses. Something has to be but they asked the youths to pay money for a workshop. Where do they expect them to get this money from?", he asked. He said the time has come for Government to carry out their responsibility to the electorate.
The need for youth empowerment in Nyanya cannot be overemphasised. One only has to walk into the place to feel where it pinches most. The major road is littered with youths who have turned themselves into objects of terror. Talking about the road, we must not forget that Nyanya is the boundary between the F.C.T and the 19 Northern states of the federation. As such, it is the first showcase of the F.C.T, but the chaos that greets you as you get into Nyanya is enough to change your mind about the famous Federal Capital Territory. It is indeed a negative showcase of the nation's capital whose Government feels that the people in the satellite towns do not deserve the dividends of democracy. What will it take Government to reform Nyanya? Definitely nothing, compared to monies laundered by some greedy leaders of our beloved country.
Hon. Ahmed Medugu, the councillor represent in Nyanya ward, who is also the Chairman, Committee on Works and Housing, noting that most of the problems identified in Nyanya ward are relics of government contractors, especially with regards to drainage system in the area and pipe borne water. LEADERSHIP gathered that most of the houses were built during the Shagari regime and that even though the houses were given to civil servants, government has never carried out maintenance work in the area even with the damage done to the road which subsequently led to the damage of most of the pipes laid underground. The councilor, however, said AMAC has been able to provide boreholes in some of the areas and that there are plans to repair some of the broken pipes.
On the issue of drainages, he said SETRACO didn't make provision for drainages during the major road construction in Nyanya. And that since there is no major drainage, there is no where water can flow into and this is responsible for the constant incidence of flooding in Area F. He pointed out that AMAC's allocation cannot comfortably serve the needs of Nyanya town and called on government to work seriously on the satellite towns, especially in Nyanya since it is the boundary between the F.C.T and other states in the north. He, however, disclosed that AMAC had awarded contracts for the construction of roads from phase four to Baragape, Area C to Angwandadi and from the market/garage to phase two, while stating that the project will kick off in next month. He also told our reporter that four additional transformers have already been allocated to Nyanya to boost power supply and decried the constant incidence of vandalisation in the area.
Hon. Medugu acknowledged the need for youth empowerment in Nyanya and promised to work with NAPEP to achieve this task. He also said plans are underway to provide four youth and women centres and build a stadium in Nyanya next year as this will help take the youths off the streets.
"Things are becoming normal now. Nyanya will experience positive change next month. I am in the opposition, but my chairman is very understanding. All I ask is patience from the people, he said. While encouraging youths in the area to get formal education, the councillor called on the F.C.D.A to come to their aid and urged the FCT minister to reach out to satellite towns in the territory.
It is no gainsaying that satellite towns in the nation's capital are facing serious neglect from our government in spite of the contributions of residents of these towns to the nation's development. These residents are suffering, some are dying due to carelessness and neglect, while others have lost grasp of the very essence of living by indulging in immoral acts and abuse of their fellow human beings. This cannot continue! The time has come for government to practise the democracy it preaches. It is time for government to answer these questions: Is democracy government by the people or buy the people? Is it government for the people of the people? And most importantly, is democracy government of the people or off the people? Until we know the true meaning of democracy, there is no true hope for attaining the Millennium Development Goals we crave for.
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