This is a city of contrasts. There is, apparently, a lot of wealth and a lot of poverty. Many of the houses are huge, gated and lovely but within a stones throw of my complex, there is a failed building project that has been taken over by squatters. There are quite a few houses that were started and never finished because the builder ran out of money. They don’t get sold and finished by someone else because property records are so screwed up in Nigeria. So, they sit abandoned except for the squatters who live in them. My “neighbors” live on the ground floor with no electricity and no running water in a concrete shell without a roof. There are goats and many chickens on the street and I have no idea who they belong to.
Driving in Abuja is a real challenge, even for someone like me who’s been driving in New York for 40 years. There are a great many motorbikes that serve as taxicabs (known as okada) and general transportation for the people. It is not unusual to see a family of four on a 125CC motorbike. Many people, especially the okada, ignore traffic lights and they come at you from all angles, so, you have to be careful driving. It is also not unusual to see a car on the wrong side of the road – coming right at you. In one area of the city, you will encounter a herd of cows crossing the road (see pictures). Pollution from exhaust fumes is pretty bad. Thank God there is no industry here, other than government.
Shopping, ah, another adventure! There are small supermarkets here that carry most basic things but there is no selection and their prices are very high, in some cases higher than New York. The super markets are best for canned and packaged goods. Meat is not good. Beef is regularly available but lamb is not and pork is nowhere to be seen due to the large Muslim population. The meat is very tough. I’m told that better meat is available from a source in the city of Jos, which is about 3 hours from here. They make deliveries once a week. Fruits and vegetable are mediocre in the supermarkets and so; one goes to the Wuse Market. This is an outdoor market where almost anything is available from small, crowded stalls that are packed in chockablock. Negotiation is a way of life. If the seller tells you the price is 400, you offer 100 and wind up somewhere in the middle. I went there yesterday, looking for a surge protector that would accept a U.S. plug. Many of the shops were closed because it was Sunday. I finally found a stall that had what I needed. The seller told me it would cost 1500 Naira ($12). I offered 1000 Naira but he was adamant and I had to have it that day, so I bought it for 1500. Five minutes later, I came across another stall that had the same item. I asked the price and was told “500 Naira”. So, I bought that one too, averaging down. I was too proud to go back to the first guy and protest. The food section of the market is pretty good. Fruits and vegetables are of good quality and much cheaper than the supermarkets but they still need to be washed in a very mild solution of bleach and water. The meat and fish look scary, laid out on open tables but people tell me it’s okay.
On Saturday last, we went to a pottery center in Bwari Village (see photos), an hour drive away. The pottery was not of high quality but the trip was very interesting. The “village” is comprised of shacks with corrugated tin roofs. The shops, which line the road, are about 10 feet wide and 15 feet deep. There were some that sold meat on open tables, under the sun. There were whole pigs heads and cow heads on some of them. There is no part of any animal that is not consumed in Nigeria.
One would think that in this equatorial climate insects would be a problem but I have no problems with insects in my house due to the healthy appetites of the lizards who reside there also.
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