The lives of Abuja slum dwellers

Mabushi and Durumi are two densely populated urban slums right within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The slums’ physical outlook and that of those who live in them contrast sharply with the opulent capital city.
The two communities attract quite a large number of dwellers as a result of their proximity to the city centre, where most offices and businesses are domiciled.
When Aso Chronicle visited Mabushi slum, the most striking feature in the crowded settlement was smelly gutters full of filth, criss crossing the sprawling mud buildings with rusted roofs.
The buildings were crammed, leaving narrow alleys for pedestrians to pass but too congested for cross ventilation.
Major facilities such as health centres, electricity, road, water, and schools are luxury for the residents.
The chief of the community, Etsu Maupeyi, who spoke through an interpreter, said the community lacks infrastructure even though they are right inside the city.
He said they have made personal effort to reach the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to solicit for assistance in the area of certain amenities but their requests are yet to be responded to.
“We do not have a health centre and we have been begging them to provide us with one. The community through personal effort has provided the land for the hospital and we showed it to AMAC officials when they came here but we are yet to get response from them. See the clinic we are using, it is always crowded. People go to Wuse, Maitama or Garki when they have health issues but we need one close to us here,” he said.
With gutters at every corner of the community, people were seen cooking even close to some of the gutters.
The chief said they pay environmental fees as well as electricity bill every month even though there is usually no light, adding that recently, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) brought two big containers for waste disposal.
“AMAC collects revenue from us but they are not helping us in any area. We only have primary school here and we have been asking for a secondary school without anyContinued from previous page

positive result. Our children go to Jabi for their secondary school education and they take the risk of crossing the expressway to get to school. This is not safe at all,” he said.
At the community’s  two-room clinic, the health official who was introduced as the doctor in charge of the clinic, Abdul Pai, said the village needs a standard hospital, explaining that though he was just transferred to this place, he heard that the village had allocated a land to AMAC for building a hospital.
On how they are coping with the number of people visiting the clinic for treatment, he said they are doing their best to treat them but they don’t hesitate to refer them to standard hospitals when the case is beyond them.   
Another major challenge is the lack of toilets in most houses in the village as most of them make use of bushes close to them for defecation.
Pai said even the clinic which has existed for over 30 years has no toilet but on his arrival he made the request and they are working on it now.
A resident, Hajiya Fatima Usman, said politicians keep promising them a whole lot of good things, especially during elections when they come to campaign, but after elections they don’t see them again, adding that if they can deliver their promises the community will be better.
She said the issue of hospital is very important to them.
 “Every pregnant woman goes to town for ante-natal and delivery. Government should help us build hospital so that we can benefit from it,” she said.
Hajiya Fatima said before now most people didn’t have toilets in their houses but the environmental officers are enforcing it and those who refuse to put toilets in their houses are fined.
“Those who dump refuse any how since they brought the waste disposal container for us are also arrested and made to pack the refuse on the ground, no matter how big, to serve as deterrent to others,”she said.
David Ashilo Gambo said residents of the village live in fear due to rumours of demolition. “Perhaps, because of its prime location in the capital city, residents live in perpetual fear of waking up one day and seeing bulldozers pulling down their shanties,” he said.
Martins Onwuka who resides in Durumi 1 said the security issue in the area needs to be looked into, adding that thieves break into people’s shops often to cart their belongings away.
“There should be provision of vigilante to take care of the area so that people can leave their shops and return the next day to meet their goods intact without any fear,” he said.
The chief’s secretary Durumi 2, David Nehemiah, while speaking to Aso Chronicle, said Durumi is in the city but they do not enjoy anything from the town.
“No good road; the road linking us to other communities, because we have Durumi 1, 2, 3 and 4, are not good and electricity is not stable. The major challenge is the issue of demolition,” he said.
Nehemiah said so many things are affecting them as residents, adding that they are not close to the government due to so many issues in the community.
 “Most times, land owners come without notification to demolish buildings because they want to develop their land. They come to mark houses for demolition without the community leader’s awareness and it is a major problem to us. Sometimes they tell us they are from FCDA but indigenes’ houses are also marked,” he said.
He said their demand is for government to resettle them at a permanent site where they can live without fear of demolition. “You see them coming with joint task force most times. This makes people to live in fear because they often come when people have gone to work,” he said.