Located within Asokoro Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Guzape is a community inhabited mostly by low income earners. The community, which is made up of some original inhabitants of the territory and others from different ethnic extractions, lacks basic amenities including healthcare centre, accessible road, potable water, security. However, the irony of their situation is that the community is surrounded by affluence. PAUL OKAH reports.
A visit to Guzape community in the Asokoro Extention of the FCT lays credence to the saying: poverty in the midst of plenty. In this community, the poor and the wealthy exist side by side but are divided by high fences securing the towing edifices that dots the landscape.
While the crème la de crème in society live in mansions in Asokoro, the poor in Asokoro Extension, where the Guzape is located, live in ramshackle structures and lack access to basic facilities such as healthcare centre, accessible road, potable water, security, potable water supply, among others.
Ironically, reputable establishments in Asokoro located directly opposite the Guzape community include: African Independent Television (AIT), Funtaj International School, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Burundi, Kogi Government Lodge, Jigawa Government Lodge, Osun Government Lodge, Republic of Namibia Chanchery, Alyssun International Schools, Shehu Shagari Hotel, and Chinese Restaurant, among other establishments.
Deplorable state of living
The bright spot in the gloomy tale of the Guzape community is probably the relatively affordable rent in the settlement, mostly as a result of poor state of the structures and the near absence of amenities. Our correspondents checks revealed that a single room could be rented for between N40,000 or N50,000. However, kitchen and toilet facilities in such houses are commonly shared. This is against what obtains in some other parts of the FCT, mostly suburbs too, where single room cost between N100, 000 to N150, 000 and idea of shared facilities is almost unheard of.
It was also observed that some of these single rooms in the community is occupied by families of four, five and even six, just as some of the building were found not to have provision for toilet or bathroom.
Confirming this development to our correspondent, one of the residents, Danladi Farouk, said in such instances the resident resort to paying between N20 to N50 defecate or take their bath in public toilets in the community.
According to him, development started in the community just a decade ago and there is no way they can be expected to have better buildings compared to their counterpart in Asokoro or their affluent co-tenants in the community.
“The poor and the rich only meet at the market. AIT people sometimes come to interview people in the village from Kuruduma 1 Hills, especially when we protest against power supply. We are two different people with those living in Asokoro Town, but we are still developing compared to ten years ago,” he said.
Immorality thrives
Speaking to Blueprint Weekend on how they maintain security as well as raise their children in densely populated community with people of diverse culture and religion, another resident, Isaac Tanko, said that immorality thrives in the community.
Tanko, who said that cultism is the order of the day in Guzape community, decried the fact that residents of the community are being terrorised by these cultists.
While noting that there is no limit to the age of these cultists in the community, he said that these cultists sometimes harass people because of issues as trivial as the colour of their outfits.
“They will meet you and claim that you are ‘flying’ their colour, depending on the colour of the cloth you are wearing. Many of them are jobless, so they hide under cultism to commit all sorts of nefarious activities. They smoke, drink and involve in sorts of vices. Some of them are boys as young as 15-years-old but the company they keep make them behave like men in their 30s.”
A respondent who didn’t want his name in print told Blueprint Weekend that their affluent neighbours hardly contend with these issues as most of them protect their families from these external influences, even as he claimed that children of most of the property owners in the area are not resident in the country.
Insecurity
As a community made up of mostly low income earners, with some of them lacking legal means of livelihood, some of the residents have taken to a life of crime. Surprisingly, however, the community is said to have experienced a drop in crime rate.
According to a resident, David Emmanuel, the crime rate started dropping when the para-military group, Man ‘O’ War started complementing the Police in patrolling the community.
He said that hitherto crimes like theft of car batteries, electronics, mobile phones and other valuables from houses usually burglarised by youths in the community, held sway but all that had reduced dramatically. He argued that if the youths were gainfully employed, they would not take to a life of crime.
“The thieves in this community steal because of unemployment. As you can see, the village is so rural that they are no opportunities to do much apart from farming and petty trading. Youths use sports betting as their past time. Some are artisans who make money going outside the community and then come back.
“People engage in petty crime out of joblessness. A criminal once kidnapped a baby. He was arrested by residents and taken to the police station here. He was later transferred to AYA. If government can open training centres to train them on different vocational skills, they won’t have time to engage in crime. Many girls are also into prostitution due to joblessness. Cultists will just approach you for wearing red socks and then threaten your life, but all these things can be overcome with job creation by government,” he said.
On the other side of the divide you find well fortified walls and fences as well as private guards and well feed dogs to keep away uninvited guests.
Water scarcity bites hard
When Blueprint Weekend visited the community on Saturday, December 15, the public borehole, which is said to serve the community, was reportedly out of order. Those who spoke with our correspondents said that there was always water scarcity as there was no steady power supply to pump the water in the borehole.
Blueprint Weekend learnt that water is usually pumped for sale in the morning and in the evening. However, the residents will have to seek for an alternative source of water in the afternoon.
A resident, Mrs Aisha Abdullahi, said that they usually buy a 25 litre gallon of water for N50 when there is no power supply. She said that, at other times, the container of water is sold at N10 or N20 when there is power supply.
She said: “It’s hard to put into words what we go through because of water in this community. The water needs of residents cannot be met due to the large population of people living here. Some people have dug well to get water for their domestic needs, but how healthy is the water?
“We have to pass through a lot before we can buy water with our money. It is not as if there is no water at all, there is water but never enough for all the people to make use of. Imagine a situation whereby you have to wait for a certain period of the day before you can get water. Even at that, the water is sold for as high as N50 for 25 litres.”
Another resident, Tanko Usman, said that the water problems being faced by the community is better imagined than experienced, but that the community was adopting different measures in tackling the water problem.
He said: “A President Goodluck Jonathan’s support group known as TAN constructed two hand-propelled borehole for us, but people were spoiling them, because the water was sold for free. However, when it was repaired, the community decided to be charging money for maintenance.
“Some people have water for sale in this community, but the distance is a problem. The one opposite chief’s palace was constantly being misused, so we started guarding it as it was commissioned in January this year.
“It was initially constructed with a solar panel, but the solar was not working effectively. The borehole needs a big generator, so we are making use of light at the moment. If there is no light, then there is no water. In fact, just Wednesday last week, when there was no power supply for three days, we ran into water crisis. In this dry season, there is not much water in the ground.
“The pumping machine or Sumo may even spoil in the course of pumping water, so we are also careful. If we pump water now, within four hours, the four tanks will be empty. It is not like in the rainy season when there was too much water under the ground. We pump water in the night when people are sleeping and also in the afternoon. We then sell the water in the morning and evening.”
For the affluent resident of the community, practically every house has its own separate means of water supply, mostly boreholes.
Communal sharing or …
For the high and mighty in the Guzape Area, solitary existence is the order of the day as they appear to have all that is needed for their day to day life within the confines of their home. Interesting, for the residents of the community on the other side of the divide, the idea of communal sharing is being taken out of contest. Blueprint Weekend discovered some local barbers who make use of crude and unsterilized equipment to cut the hair of their customers; many of whom were found to be elderly men. The paraphernalia of the barbers include, among others: shaving stick, packets of razor, Tetmosol soap, foaming substance of water mixed with detergents.
In a chat with Blueprint Weekend, one of the customers in his late fifties, who identified himself simply as Bello, said that he has never made use of a clipper all his life for a haircut. He said that he comes from a village in Kastina state, where one had to travel miles for a haircut.
Bello said that he has gotten used to manual barbing since it was what he grew up with. He said that he once had a haircut with a clipper but that the bumps that appeared on his head convinced him to return to using manual barbers and that he has never looked back.
He said that there was no danger of contracting HIV or any other infection and vehemently argued that HIV can only be contracted through sexual intercourse and not through having a haircut with unsterilized equipment.
He said: “Nothing will ever make me use a clipper for a shave or haircut. These barbers really know their business and I wonder why some will waste their time with modern barbers with clippers. All my life, I have only once made use of a clipper to satisfy my curiosity, but it was not funny. I had bumps all over my head that took days to cure, so since then I have been going the traditional way.
“A haircut here is only N100 or N150, and I sometimes even have to buy just a razor blade at N10 or N20 and have a friend shave or barb me. I save a lot of money that way. Forget about that hullabaloo of contracting HIV through having a haircut, there is nothing like disease or infection here. Those who have HIV got it through unprotected sex, not by having a haircut. Since I started barbing here, I have not contacted any skin disease because the barbers really know their business.”
Power challenge
While their close neighbours in the beautifully fortified structures have power supply back up in their heavy generating sets, Guzape community battles with the challenge of power. Our correspondent’s checks revealed that power supply is rationed among residents. Some have light for two days at a stretch; they then stay without supply for another two days, while some have light only six hours in a day.
Blueprint Weekend learnt that the rationing was as a result of the large population of electricity users, especially due to the fact that electricity bill is too high for some of the residents to afford. Due to the fact that there is no steady power supply in the community, many residents cash into the situation by charging mobile phones and other devices at a fee. Depending on the type of device, cost of charging ranges from N50 to N100.
Our correspondent further gathered that neighbouring communities, especially Kobi Sarki, Kobi Makaranta, Kuruduma 1&2 and the whole of Guzape all come to the chief palace to pay their electricity bills. There is no office for Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), as officials were seen transacting with residents in front of the chief’s palace, either for payment of electricity bills, connection or disconnection fees.
A resident, Michael Ndidi, complained that the rationing was negatively affecting his petty business as he needed electricity to chill drinks he sells.
“When the light rationing was changed from four days on and three days off to six hours per day, people started to complain. These are jobless people who are just idle. Many of us actually prefer to have light six hours per day than staying in darkness for days. No business can survive without light,” he said.
Absence of health facility
Lack of a healthcare centre is one of the greatest challenges that the residents have to overcome on daily basis. There is no healthcare centre in Guzape, whether private or public, and the residents have to travel as far as Apo or the General Hospital, Asokoro, to access medical care. Even the clinic at nearby Kobi Makaranta is over subscribed.
Nevertheless, many drug stores exist in the community, with Baba Sunny leading the pack as the best chemist store owner. Blueprint Weekend gathered that most residents turn to him and other drug vendors in the community for their health care needs. Only perceived serious health challenges are said to be referred to the hospital.
“Some NGOs do come here to share relief materials to people, especially children. Some offer free medical care. Some were giving yellow fever injections from 9 months to 44 years. We benefited a lot from free HIV or malaria tests and injection against Yellow Fever,” a resident, Shehu Dauda, told our correspondent.
Firewood as source of energy
In this modern age, where people use electric and gas cookers as well as kerosene stoves, majority of residents in Guzape make use of firewood. This is because it is cost friendly to use firewood than stove or gas, according to one of the residents, Mrs Jennifer Ifeanyi.
“Not all of us can afford to use stove to cook, let alone gas cylinder. I can use firewood of just N100 to prepare food for days, while a litre of kerosene is sold at N250 and cannot last a day. I don’t have money for gas and I don’t care. Moreover, the food cooked with firewood is even more tasty than the one prepared in stove or gas,” she said.
Threat of demolition
A resident, Yakubu Umar, revealed that in 2012, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) officials wanted to demolish the settlement, but were resisted by residents. He said that the chief of the community was summoned and he put an end to the demolition threat by speaking with the FCDA officials.
He said: “They had already destroyed a house with a bulldozer, but they backed down when the chief Intervened. The police were just shooting sporadically into the air to chase away the residents who were gathering and getting ready to resist the demolition. But for the chief’s intervention, they would have been a bloodbath.
“The FCDA officials came with security forces who were armed to the teeth, the matter was taken to court as FCDA had earmarked buildings for demolition, but the matter gradually died. God knows what we would have done without our village head. It was a disaster averted and a red letter day for us all.”
In a chat with Blueprint Weekend, the Village Head of Guzape, Chief Bitrus Tanko Yakubu, said that the lack of basic amenities was really affecting the community in many ways.
He said that he was crowned Chief of Guzape in 2009 and that his reign has brought about many positive developments in the community.
He said that, though they have been constant threats of demolition of the village by the FCDA, nothing of such has happened and will happen as long as he remains the village head, especially as the community applied to the FCT Minister for approval of the settlement and he granted it.
He said: “We are the original owners of the land as Gbagyi people and we are also peace loving people and relate well with government. I have won several awards from different organizations due to the fact that I rule this community peacefully. Just last month, specifically on the 10th of November, I was honoured with the Leadership Category Legend Award by Gratacom Media Communications; in recognition of my leadership role in all spheres of life as a credible influential monarch in Guzape District.
“This is an organisation I didn’t know from Adams, but they just came to the community and discreetly interviewed my subjects on how I rule them and were impressed by the commendations, so they wrote to me about the award.”
Speaking further, Tanko said that the community was under-policed and that there was need for government to send more policemen to the community in order to checkmate crime.
He added that the community was lacking public primary and secondary schools that will take care of the educational needs of the children, even as he bemoaned the lack of healthcare centre and potable water.
He said: “Government should assist us in the area of security in Guzape and Kpaduma 2 of Asokoro Extension. Criminal activities in the community are getting out of hand and they need to be curbed as soon as possible. The security operatives here are trying, but we need more help.
“We have a police outpost here, but the officers there are few and should be increased. We take precautions against crime by curtailing movements in the night. In fact, due to the high crime rate, we restrict movement of people from 12am. As long as there is no emergency, no man ought to be moving about in the community at midnight except the person is a criminal.
“Also, there is no hospital or clinic in this community, which is a concern to us as it poses a great threat to our health; being far away from a healthcare centre.
We also don’t have a government school. In this modern time when people make use of education to better their lives, many of us simply stay in ignorance because of the high cost of private schools.”
On whether those representing them in government are delivering on their mandates, Tanko said that the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abdullahi Candido, had earmarked a site for a clinic in the community but that the project was yet to take off.
He said that despite the difference in their economic status that the Guzape people exists peacefully with the wealthy class in Asokoro and have never contemplated revolting against the affluent.
He said: “Those representing us in government are not doing enough for us. The AMAC Chairman, Abdullahi Candido, promised to build a clinic for us and earmarked a site three months ago beside the INEC office here, but the project is yet to take off. Government is supposed to help us in constructing gutters to channel erosion.
“Water is one of the greatest challenges we have in this community. You need to come here in the morning to see the queue in front of my palace. Within thirty minutes, water from our tanks always finishes because of the population. Sometimes we buy a gallon of water at N50 from water vendors known as mai ruwa, as they bring water to us from the town.”
Continuing, Tanko said: “About 20 years ago, those living in Asokoro Town got allocation for the land. They used to help us with contributions, but they have stopped now. As indigenes, we benefit from government in the area of encroachment. If government wants to make use of a particular portion of the land, the owner will get compensation to buy land somewhere else.
“We are not angry with government or the wealthy class living in Asokoro Town. However, we need urgent help. No hospital, no school, water scarcity and many things should be the priority of government to us. During rainy season, our road is impassable, due to erosion, so they should be repaired.”
