Life in Abuja

Living in Nigeria certainly has its uniqueness. Nigeria's weak institutions and its lack of social amenities and infrastructure will make anyone especially one from a more developed country to think twice and thoroughly before coming to visit or reside in Nigeria but when they do, there is certainly no regret. This is because life in Nigeria is an adventure. Life in Nigeria varies from place to place: every city has its peculiarity and its people their mentality. The two most cosmopolitan cities in Nigeria are the metropolitan city of Abuja and the commercial city of Lagos.

Abuja is a land-locked capital city located at the geographical centre of Nigeria and it is the most beautiful city in Nigeria with good and modern social amenities and infrastructures. Its beauty can be compared to that of many big cities in developed countries but life in Abuja is incomparable. Been the seat of power Abuja is a home to these classes of people: honourables, senators, ministers, ambassadors, expatriates, bureaucrats and all that are into power business. The city was planned and built to accommodate them (excluding low income bureaucrats) and big business owners alone without provision for small business owners, their employees, low income bureaucrats and other very low income earners who work in the city. This is evident in the daily mass movement of workers into the city in the morning and out of the city in the evening. These workers cannot afford the houses in any of the districts (Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, Central, Wuse, Gwarimpa, Apo, Utako) in the city so they have to live in the suburbs like Kubwa (which is the largest), Karo, jikwoyi, Yanya, Gwagwalada, Zuba, Kuje etc Many even come to work from towns in neighbouring states like Keffi and Mararaba in Nasarawa state and Suleja in Niger state. Traffic on roads inside Abuja is light due to the good roads but it is not so on the three roads that connect Abuja and the suburbs which experiences heavy traffic at morning hours and evening hours on working days. Driving inside Abuja can be a problem; drivers in Abuja are among the most reckless in the country. The reason is because of the good roads which they see as race tracks and a lot of kids on the road driving their parent's car without the necessary driving training.

The way of life in Abuja is so much influenced by the power-play that goes on in the city. The major employer of labour in the city is the government and so majority of the people work for the government. The people of Abuja show less entrepreneurship or inventive tendencies when compared with the people of other major Nigerian cites. They believe more on the use of connections and public office to get what they want (the national cake mentality). The youths in Abuja lacks energy and social vibe when compared to those in Lagos, Kaduna and Benin this can be seen in their poor representation in the entertainment industry. Outside the federal capital territory most people believes living in Abuja means affluence and connections, which in most cases is not true. Life in the city is very expensive yet you need to see the way the politicians, the senior bureaucrats and their family squander money - easy come; easy go. For this class of people Abuja is a good place to live but for those that cannot afford the pleasures that this beautiful city offers, their perception may be otherwise. Night life and clubbing in Abuja is fun most especially for those who live in any of the districts which are close to where the big clubs and lounges are situated. Those in the suburbs may find it stressful and uncomfortable to hangout or club in the city because of the distance from their home. The suburbs however can boast of some small and relatively cheap clubs and hangouts where the residents can have fun. Despite all these, Abuja is a place where most people love to visit or may love to live in. Life in Abuja is an experience worth having.