₦airaland Forum

spicyhoney:
@ poster though your write up is literally fascinating but the content is wrong.

How can u compare Abuja to Lagos? I live in Abj but grew up in lag and i can tell u there's no comparison at all. The way of life and ambiance of Abuja can not be found in any part of Lagos, even Ikoyi which is the most organised and sane part of Lagos will be intimidated if it were to be human in Abuja.

However if u reside in the outskirt of Abuja(FCT) or in neighboring states like Mararaba, suleija Zubwa and u say u are living in Abj then your write up might make sense BUT if u re referring to ABUJA town my brother there's no comparison.

I don't stay in the main Abuja town. I begin to wonder why most people insist on differentiating Abuja from Abuja town. They all fall under the FCT. That is where my comparison lies, I refuse to look at Abuja as just its elite cities.

hackney:
@Chuks84

I am impressed with the literal proficiency you have displayed here.
It's so refreshing to read text so well written.
The content portrays fantastic perspectives and is a joy to read.

Cheers and don't forget to write a book someday.
Thanks.

Thanks a lot!

[quote author=wazobia-ng link=topic=525120.msg6885199#msg6885199 date=1286357224]there are many guys that hit abuja running and they made it fast, legit. most of those guys are in that same fcda or work with the fcda people you complain about. wait till people you know buy big cars and live in big houses in town. you na real olodo o!

how could you have lived in lagos all your life and you don't know that once people are living the good life in a town, it doesn't matter whether majority are suffering, it means there's hope. people are living good life in abuja. heck! some rent a house a walking distance from their place of walk and they drive to work within two minutes.

guy, you are missing lagos. people in abuja (wuse, garki, apo and the like within abuja town) consider lugbe and kubwa to be as far away, if not futher than lagos. why? because, they travel to lagos ever so often, some of them have never been to lugbe or kubwa nor do they hope to ever go there.

maami, people have made it in abuja. i get stories, don't kid yourself. you should know better, you are from lagos. i hope you are not igbo because an average igbo man will know that, "nna men, so far as na human beings dey live for those big big houses, dey drive big big cars, living in peace, i go make am here".

about they bomb blast. of course you know nothing lasts. bad things happen everywhere.

that doesn't say you cannot make it in lagos. in fact lagos has more opportunities than abuja. but in a zillion years, lagos will not fetch you the peace or tranquillity that abuja (town shaa o!) offers. forget that, na atlantic ocean fashola wan push all the agberos go.

take it from someone who knows the nooks and crannies of both towns. yeah! been there, done that. came, saw and conquered.[/quote]Guy, your post reeks of ignorance. I was pleased to see that most people understood and appreciated this article. But obviously there were a few like you who didn't even come close. This write-up was first and foremost, a literary piece. My aim was to share my experience on the other side of Abj, to make people know that the Fct is not only what they see on TV. You say there are many guys who have made it but there are as many who haven't. You talk about stories you've heard, are you so gullible that you believe everything you hear? Did these people tell you how they made their money? You talk as if people living outside the main Abuja towns are not human beings. In your opinion, Abuja consists of only its developed areas, its just like saying the main lagos is only ikoyi, V.I and Lekki and the rest might as well be living in Ogun state. That's a very narrow way to view things. And yes! I am Igbo and I dont know where you got the asinine idea that we make it sharp sharp anywhere we go. You probably expect me to go to wuse market and open my shed eh? Most people that succeed here immediately are either well connected or pretty girls. Judging by your statements, you strike me as a 419 scammer, one who believes in making money at the expense of others. I did not write this story as an admission of defeat. I'm young, a fresh graduate and I know I have a great future ahead of me. My experience has made me wiser and I only seek to enlighten those who think to take the same path I have chosen

buzugee:
great article.  you should become a writer. LESSON LEARNED ? wetin you dey find for sokoto , e dey for shokoto

anyway so what is ONE CHANCE ? you say you fear to take cabs because of 'one chance '

Lol, One chance is a word used to describe cab drivers who rob their passengers.

banom:
@ Op,

Your problem is nothing but disappointment, what you met in Abuja obviously did not confirm with your original  prejudice about Abuja, I have lived in Abuja for over twenty years now, and  i do frequently visit other cities in Nigeria like , kano, Lagos, Portarcourt , Calaba, Enugu, Kaduna,  where we have our family business branches, and i must tell you, Abuja is  haven when compared to those cities,

What makes you enjoy any city is not if the city is the biblical Garden of Eden, but MONEY, with money you can have all your fantasies provided for you even in the most dense Jungle of Sahara desert, with a mere 16k salary you will obviously not see the real Abuja, but just take your time and plan your self, soon you will get used to the city, make enough money and Enjoy all your fantasies , WELCOME TO FCT, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND ORGANIZED CITY IN NIGERIA.

Yes, disappointment is part of my problem. Abuja is actually better than a lot of cities, but as a FCT, it is a total letdown. You say you have lived in Abuja for twenty years, your family owns a business with nationwide branches. Why won't Abuja be a haven to you? Just like people who live within the Lekki axis would probably describe Lagos. The average working man in Abuja can hardly afford a room, He or she has to rent in Maraba or Suleja. Have you been to Nyanya? That place is a total slum. Like someone posted earlier, there are two sides to every story. Ask people living in all these places, their perspective on Abuja would be a whole lot different from yours. I said I miss Lagos and I really do, but I've chosen to persevere in this city, I'm willing to be optimistic.  No matter how much money I make tomorrow I will still stand by my story because I have seen what the average citizen is going through.

aikuda:
This is a well written piece.  Have you ever considered writing  professionally? maybe in your spare time, ofcourse. For once, I couldn't stop reading until the end. The grass is always greener on the other side. I live abroad, but everyday I miss home. I am sure with time you will understand the city, make friends, and maybe begin to call it home. Goodluck!

Thanks a lot. I've actually considered writing professionally but I lack the attention span for it. Maybe I will someday.

Believe me, I'm trying to. Once I get a job in lag, i intend to leave this city. It will be ridiculous for me to leave my job for one i dont have. However, I didnt write this article to moan about my situation, my intention is to warn all those who think to come to the FCT seeking greener pastures.

I was born and bred in Lagos, had my primary, secondary and tertiary education in Lagos. I hated Lagos! The madness, everybody was in rush to go somewhere. The filth, refuse littering virtually every corner of the streets. The crime, Armed robbers robbing people in broad daylight. Agberos, the order of the day. The heavy traffic, oh! those hold ups, I spent nothing less than three hours getting to school everyday. The only thing that kept me there was family.

Immediately after the university, I set my sights on leaving Lag, folks tried convincing me to work my NYSC to Lagos. Lai lai! I had already set my sights on Abuja. Yes! Abuja, the seat of the nation, our glorious capital, our own little London, Nigeria's land of milk and honey. No hold ups, no rush rush, no Agberos, no one chance. I was to go, see and conquer. Or so i thought.

I arrived at Abuja on a fateful Sunday morning, breathed in the fresh air, felt the wind of change rushing over me. My first destination was my uncle's house in a city called Kuje. My uncle came to pick me up from the airport, as we drove I admired the sights, so many rocks, I felt as if I was on an excursion. We soon veered off the main road to an untarred road, we moved through the streets of a place that reminded me of my village. We finally stopped in front of a small bungalow, I was surrounded by the sounds of chickens. Dreading the answer, I couldn't help but ask: "Uncle is this Abuja?". It was. I couldn't understand, what of all the tales? The beauty of Asokoro, Maitama, Wuse, Garki. I went to the room provided for me, consoling myelf with the thought that every city has its slums.

The next day, I went to the NYSC camp in Kubwa, which was only slightly better than Kuje and I was greeted with madness. A multitude of to be corpers struggling to register, I was given a card which declared me as No. 2,478 on the queue. I looked round wondering where the queue was, all I could see was people fighting to get into a particular canopy. Where were the cool guys? The Behind chics? The Ajebuta's? These fellas were hardened Ajekpako's, the girls there were even worse. I ended up sleeping on the field that day without completing my registration.

As the camp progressed, the scales slowly fell off my eyes. I learned of remote towns like Abaji, Kwali, Rubochi, Karshi, I got to understand that Abuja consisted of a few urban cities surrounded by undeveloped villages. Virtually everybody in the camp was a hustler who had heard tales of this city and had come to partake in the national cake. I was eventually posted to FCDA (Federal Capital Development Agency). En route to the office I learned my cab driver was a fresh graduant of NYSC who coincidentally served in FCDA, he complained to me that he was still being owed 2 months salary, saying FCDA was the worst place to serve. He was right. With a monthly salary of N5,000 per month which was paid in bulk every three months, I suffered, I was just surviving.  I discovered Abuja had its own share of hold ups that could rival Lagos anyday, particularly in the area of kubwa and Lugbe. I spent nothing less than two hours going to work everyday. Majority of the workers in Abuja didn't even come from the FCT, they came to work everyday from neighbouring states like Nassarawa and and Niger. Accomodation was devilishly expensive. I missed Lagos.

One year later. I am still in Abuja, I was lucky to be retained as a project staff, I earn a pittance of N16,000 monthly. I fight the daily madness of entering a bus to get to work, I spend 3 hrs. I fear entering cabs because of one-chance which is becoming rampant. I can't afford an apartment of my own. Just this weekend there was a bomb explosion in the city. Every day, I hear of the strides Fashola is making in Lagos. I see it with my eyes but I am not believing. The FCT is slowly becoming another Lagos. And Lagos is slowly evolving to my imagined FCT. I miss Lagos.

[center]She!
[/center]
[center]Her heart is pure.
Her heart is mine.
For every ache, she is my cure.
For her, all day i pine.
She completes me.
She is that missing piece.
Anything she wants I'll be.
Anything for her peace.
I confess, I'm smitten.
I confess, I'm in love.
All my defenses, she has beaten.
All I need, I've found in her cove.
My queen, my life, she's my everything.
My drug, my salve, she's my saviour.
Alas! Safe in her bosom, I want for nothing.
Alas! She doesn't exist, she's just a dream, all I long for.[/center]