DAILY TRUST
Poverty, insecurity and the quest for a better life have seen many Nigerians troop into Abuja; the country’s seat of power. But the harsh realities have been unexpected. They are now classified as homeless; finding refuge in abandoned buildings and cars.
For many Nigerians and visitors to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja’s magnificent edifices, expansive and sleek streets, with lined up trees captivate the senses. It has earned a place in magazines and blogs as a place of aesthetic beauty and is referred to as Africa’s fastest growing city.
Within its city walls are the top guns that are in charge of the political affairs of the nation and its slogan, ‘center of unity’ solidifies its reputation as a home for all.
But a flip side of the city exists. A contrast of Abuja’s power and beauty is reflected in the many residents struggling with shelter. Driven from their homes by the brutal realities of poverty, insecurity and the search for better life, many troop into Abuja, not as criminals, but as refuge seekers eager to drink from its fountain of wealth.
From 2020 to date, data by Macrotrend, an international data gathering site revealed that more people from the hinterlands have relocated to Abuja, as the city witnessed an increased population of over 22.81 per cent. The data shows Abuja’s population rose from 3,278,000 in 2020 to 4,026,000 in 2024. Macrotrend projects that by 2035, the population of Abuja may rise to over six million.
However, the harsh reality of the city bites deep, as crushing rents force many into homelessness; sleeping in abandoned and uncompleted buildings and in vehicles.
In the ‘comfort’ of an abandoned hospital
The air hangs heavy, a putrid blend of waste and stale urine welcomes one into an abandoned, uncompleted hospital, now home to over 100 people, including children in Utako area of the city. Within this decaying structure, its inhabitants carve out spaces with not enough to make room for a kitchen. There is no convenience, and so its inhabitants rely on the veil of the night to trek a distance in search of open spaces to empty their bowels.
Inside the confines of this unfinished structure, this reporter met Binta Yahuza, a 42-year-old who sought refuge in Nigeria’s capital city, amidst the threat of insecurity back home, in Katsina State. She now lives with her five children while caring for three orphans.
“We couldn’t stay in Katsina due to insecurity,” Binta shared in Hausa, her voice tinted with both sorrow and resilience as she narrated her three years journey in the uncompleted building. “Here in Abuja, we hope for safety and a chance to build a better life,” she said.
But the reality is harsh. Binta, is one of 24.4 million Nigerians classified as homeless by the World Population review, because they do not have a stable, safe and adequate housing, nor the means and ability to obtain it. The data, which ranks Nigeria as the country with the most homeless people in 2023 reveals that many more people have no appropriate access to a proper dwelling that have access to some of the most basic services.
A homeless person, according to the Institute of Global Homelessness and the UN Habitat, is a person living on the streets, in open spaces or cars, temporary emergency accommodation or internally displaced persons camps as well as those living in severely inadequate and insecure housing.
While Binta fits into this definition, she sells tofu (awara), to make ends meet while her children help by frying yam;
pooling together whatever they earn to sustain themselves. But their resources are not enough to provide shelter and their struggles are compounded by the relentless rise in the cost of living. “We used to buy spaghetti for N200, then it was N300, and now it’s N800,” she lamented.
Within the same building, Chioma Sunday’s eyes betray a weariness beyond her years. Like Binta, the 30-year-old mother of four has lived in Abuja for over two years and says her family was uprooted from their shanty home in Utako, after returning from a village burial to find their home demolished by government officials. She and her family have now found solace within the crumbling walls of an abandoned building.
Though she sells moi moi, (beans pudding cake) Chioma explained that the high cost of living in Abuja, arguably one of Nigeria’s most expensive cities has forced her to relocate two of her children to the village in the South-east.
This reporter also found Asabe Umar, a 54-year-old seated on a weathered stone in a room stripped bare of windows and doors preparing a meal. Originally from Mangu LGA in Plateau State, Asabe said she became displaced after the death of her husband.
The mother of 12 added that the burden of her children weighs heavily on her even though three of the 12 have now married. “If we had a choice, we would never have chosen this life,” Asabe said in reference to her housing situation.
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