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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
It is the first thing that greets them in the morning and the last thing that bids them good night. It is not a minaret or historical monument or an architectural masterpiece.
It is a mountain of refuse tucked away in Karamajiji, a sprouting Abuja suburb along the Airport Road. The gigantic solid waste is brazenly defacing the area and rubbishing all its attempts at attaining a municipality status.
Residents are awoken by a characteristic awful smell that oozes from it. You dare not breathe when you pass it on foot, yet the stench follows you for a while even after you have paced away.
Some residents call it the decayed wound of Karamajiji, forgetting it’s a man-made filth that epitomizes the twin blight of government failure and the poor hygiene practices of the dwellers since garbage would not fall from the sky.
Residents, developers and visitors have a common appeal to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA); demolish all existing and budding dumpsters for the sake of their health. They want the garbage trucks to frequent the area and promise to pay commensurately for that essential service.
Mary Nnamdi had packed to Karamajiji before realising that a solid waste hub was nearby. She told Daily Sun: “With the high cost of accommodation in Abuja, I had to go to the suburbs and satellite towns to hunt for affordable accommodation. Someone recommended Karamajiji and I came here.
“Interestingly, it is near the city centre and that works for me perfectly. In fact, Karamajiji fits me like a glove. But what does not fit me or work for me is the refuse dump. It actually tortures me because of the possible health risks attached to it.
“I can’t enjoy cheaper accommodation only to start battling health matters. It’s a dangerous mix. The earlier the FCTA comes here to deal with the issue, the better.
“For me and many others, we are prepared to pay commensurately for refuse disposal. It is paid for world over. Here shouldn’t be an exception. We will pay but let the solid waste be cleared.”
Another resident, Desmond Agbi, said the smell from the dumpsite could eat up humans like the folklore dragons did: “The smell is fire in itself. It can kill just like we read that dragons too killed with fire that belched from their bellies. I hope this area is not racing towards becoming the dumpster capital of Nigeria.”
So, what is the FCTA doing about the horror? A source at FCTA promised to get to the place to ascertain the truth or otherwise of residents’ claims:
“Efforts are on to rid the entire FCT of solid waste, as more refuse management companies have been contracted on Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to complement existing efforts at keeping Abuja clean and healthy.”
