No Christmas in Abuja!

Posted by admin Abuja (FCT), Headlines, State News Saturday, December 24th, 2011

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja is turning into a shadow of itself as most residents are leaving the city in droves for the Christmas and New Year celebrations in their respective villages and states.

Checks by our correspondent indicate that, despite complains of harsh economic situation in the country, residents have continued to jam every motor park and the airport in a bid to leave the city before Christmas day.

The roads, usually characterized by hold-ups are almost empty except around market areas and parks where people are either making purchase or about to travel. For instance, at the popular Chisco Park at Utako area, passengers flood the park, buying tickets, just as filled buses leave in turns.

The situation is the same at Ifesinachi, Utako, which deployed its big buses for journeys to the eastern part of the country and Lagos area. Before now, it only operated the 18-seater bus to different parts of the country. The same situation, before today, was witnessed at the ABC Transport also at Utako.
Most passengers from satellite towns around Abuja now sleep over at the parks of their choice with a view to leaving the city early the next day to avoid any untoward circumstance.

Most of the managers of these transport companies were too busy to speak to our correspondent as they were giving instructions to drivers and loaders and allocating vehicles for journeys.
But at the Peace Park, where Ifesinachi operates the 18-seater buses only, passengers flooded the park, purchasing tickets. The Manager Mr. Jude Ngwu told our correspondent that he was impressed about the turn out of passengers because, usually, by 20th of December, passengers do not always turn out in such large numbers.

On the increase of between 60 and 100 percent on some routes, Ngwu said it was because, most of their vehicles come empty from some areas, in a bid to carry passengers in places like Abuja and Lagos.
His words, “We have to account for the loss, but I do not think the increase in fares are so much. As you asked, we do not overwork our drivers as each and every one of them has his vehicle and drive just a trip. The only constraint we are having is the scarcity of fuel, but the government is intervening in the situation”.
There have been increases of between 60 and 100 percent in some routes. For instance, a journey to Enugu from Abuja, which usually cost N2,000, now costs N4,000 – but with air condition buses, it has jumped to N4,700.

Trips to Lagos, which usually cost N2,700, now cost N5,000 and N5,600 in air condition buses. Big buses that cost N3,000 to Lagos before, now costs N4,500. At the Ekene Dili Chukwu, trips to Lagos now cost N6,000.

At the Utako General Park and other parks in the FCT, passengers crowded the parks while pickpockets had a field day, picking peoples pockets and stealing belongings. Reacting to the huge traffic of people travelling despite the economic downtown in the country, Mr Chukwudi Ekene from Anambra State, told our correspondent that, for easterners, Christmas is a very important celebration for them, as they use the opportunity to do many things, apart from celebrating the birth of Christ.

His word: “The Igbos use the Christmas period to do some checks on how they have fared since they year. They also use it to have meetings with themselves and chart a new course for the next year, others use it to settle their boys who served them, so that the boys will start their own business. We also use it to do meetings, open houses and contribute to the community development.” In fact, the list is so many. But for Dr. Ifeyinwa Nnamchi who was travelling to Enugu, she told our correspondent that she was travelling because her parents wanted to see her and her children and to know how they are faring.

Gbenga Salami, a Muslin said Christmas period is a time to rest and see ones loved ones and thank God for making them to end the year and to look forward for another one.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, passengers were having a tough time, as most flight had been fully booked some two weeks ago. Those who could not book in advance were stranded and were seen patronizing touts who, most times, collect money from them pretending to buy tickets for them only to disappear.

There were also cancellation of fights, which our correspondent learnt has been rampant and was attributed to the harmattan haze and operational reasons. Efforts to speak to the Public Relation Officer of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, was not successful. She did not pick her calls. Her colleague, Mr. Itua, was said to have travelled to Jos for new assignment.

-Sunwp_posts