The people of Dako community are predominantly farmers. This is evident from the ridges that could be seen around the footpath that led to the village.
The visit of the T.Y Danjuma Foundation and its board of trustee to Dako community on February 14, 2012 to show love and concern to the people living in this community was an eye opener.
We were greeted on arrival to the village by thick rising smoke of the hammattan dust and deep gullies that extend 20 kilometres to the village.
The road to Dako community was described as worse than what obtained in the rural villages during the colonial rule and the scenario is the same with other villages surrounding Dako village.
The people of Dako do not know, feel or see the relevance of government, if at all they know a government exists, as there are no social amenities in sight anywhere in and around the village.
They live in abject poverty, ignorance and neglect but the programme embarked upon by the T.Y Danjuma Foundation will wake the community up from its slumber because as a popular saying has it, "Education is Light". But amidst the social and economic challenges facing this community, there exist serenity, love, peace and hope as the dwellers of this village send occasional flashes of smiles to each other irrespective of their religious differences.
For the first time in months I felt safe in the midst of these people; no security check-points, no traffic, no noise, no smoke and no fear of the Boko Haram. What I felt was total peace.
Since the visit, I still feel the urge to return to Dako to study their tradition and know their source of joy and happiness. I believe strongly that the reason these people could wear a smiling countenance despite their poverty is because they are not aware of the affluence surrounding them.
They probably do not know that there is a huge difference between life in the 18th century and now, as they continue to dwell in the latter with the help of negligence of government. I wept for their predicaments. Why would a set of people be left to live like this in a country where billions and trillions of naira are budgeted annually for infrastructural development, human development and economic stability?
Most amazing is that the community is not found elsewhere but in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, just about 32 kilometres from Gwagwalada area council. Between Gwagwalada and Dako is Paiko-Kore, Geida Sabo, Dawaki and Kwalita, each successive settlement being worse than the other in terms of social amenities and government presence. From Paiko-Kore to Kwalita there is negligible government presence, but in Dako, it is a total disconnection between the people and government.
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The only times these villages are remembered are when politicians have to canvass for votes in these communities. Even though the FCT has had 14 ministers till date, most of the ministers are probably more interested in land deals, contracts to the tune of billions of naira, and demolition of illegal structures. Dako Community lacks rural infrastructures such as road network, potable water, hygiene, proper housing, and electricity and until recently, education. It was the timely intervention of the T.Y Danjuma Foundation that provided the community with its first school ever which was commissioned in October last year and the Foundation, led by its chairman, Gen. T.Y Danjuma (retd) again paid the community a visit to nurture what it has given to the village.
My visit to Dako with the T.Y Danjuma Foundation was indeed an eye opener as I have come to realise that the government only tells us what they want us to hear through the media. I got to see the inefficiency and lack of political will of our political actors especially in the federal capital territory.
One thing that I do not doubt however, is that as elections draw nearer you will soon see posters of these imposters intending to become chairmen, senators and House of Representatives members in these villages, promising them heaven just to win their votes. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma will go down in history as the peoples' general and one of the most celebrated Nigerians of all times.
Umar is a youth corps member with LEADERSHIP newspaper
