₦airaland Forum

theDEVILisHERE:
Very very correct about Abuja 1995-2005

Anybody who lived in Abuja within that period enjoyed the best the zoo called Nigeria had to offer (especially 1994-2000)

No other place within Nigeria could match that experience at any point in their history

kids who grew up that period turned out good too cause Abuja had some of best collection of people Nigeria had to offer

The brashness and chaotic Nature of Nigeria didn't rub off on the kids who grew that period hence most grew up to be cool, rational and sound people

I couldn't agree more with you. You nailed it!

I miss Abuja. Not today's Abuja but Abuja of 1995-2005. Abuja First Generation know what I'm talking about...Abuja generation means we attended secondary school in Abuja between 1995-2005. Most of us left the country for university and have refused to live in Abuja again...explains the empty mansions you see in Asokoro, Maitama, Garaki, Wuse, Wuse 2, Life Camp, e.t.c...WE JUST DON'T LIKE TODAY'S ABUJA. Today's Abuja is noisy, unsafe, dirty, big, fake/fake people/runs people, runs girls, 419s/criminals, traffic, polluted, e.t.c. In other words not different from Lagos!

Abuja of 1995-2005 was when Abuja was Real Abuja...extremely quiet that if you drop a needle someone would hear it, very safe, natural/greenery...not a lot of houses, residents were close and knew each other well...due to the small population and few schools, mosques/churches, markets, shopping centers, e.t.c. Not usual that 80% of us attended the 2-3 major secondary schools, mosques/churches, e.t.c. So our parents also knew each other. Abuja was closed-knitted. If you are a guy and met a girl and vice versa, 99% of the time, she is also an Abuja First Generation not today's fake, hustlers , runs girls you see today who just entered the city yesterday. People were natural, didn't dress to showoff nor drove expensive cars to impress even though their parents were extremely wealthy. You could drive from Asokoro to Garaki without a single traffic, no noise, no horns as seen or could be heard today. Military were everywhere which provided security. Honestly, it felt like a military camp or barrack as you could easily hear siren blare every minute as Generals were passing by. Lol. Though that diminished after 1999. Wuse 2 you see today that is heavily commercialized was a residential area aside from the Adetokubo St where the AP plaza is and down to where Banex is on Aminu Kano crescent. Then we would walk around or ride our bikes virtually all these streets...very safe as they were military and security everywhere. Not usual for your neighbors to be white families as they were many then.

I have nothing against the change, I just needed to tell you guys that Abuja will never be the same again. Most of the First Generation who left the country around 2000-2005, when we returned whether temporary or permanent, we just couldn't fit in like we did before. The change was fast... a lot happened between 2005-2009. We prefer living abroad. Pls understand the gem of my post...the development is fine and all that but I personally prefer it would have been better keeping it the way it was yet with the development. That could have been achieved by simultaneously developing Jos, Enugu, Onitsha, Kaduna, Calabar, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Akure, Ilorin, e.t.c. Developing only Abuja attracted a lot of people to Abuja beyond the capacity explains the 30-40% living outside of Abuja metro...who can't afford to live in the metro. That wasn't the case in 1995-2005 as most of us lived in Wuse, Wuse 2, Garaki, Life Camp, Maitama.