My interest in the life, sights and sounds of Abuja suburbs grew
when I began searching for a shop in these places. Oh, I haven’t told you?…I am
a baker. I had just started my confectionery business and with my
business plan, settling for the very high prices of shops in the city centre
was just a big NO! NO!! for me. So, I had to search for a more affordable option,
in a thickly populated suburb that would
be good for business.
In the course of my voyage, I discovered a lot of villages (don’t be scared, ‘village’ is a common term for suburbs in Abuja…lol) I had never been to or even heard since my stay in the city. The uniqueness of each suburb triggered the desire to launch this blog; to share my discoveries with the people of Abuja, Nigeria, Africa and the world at large. There is so much of life going on in these places, so much to savor, so much to learn from and even much more to get you inspired.
In the course of my voyage, I discovered a lot of villages (don’t be scared, ‘village’ is a common term for suburbs in Abuja…lol) I had never been to or even heard since my stay in the city. The uniqueness of each suburb triggered the desire to launch this blog; to share my discoveries with the people of Abuja, Nigeria, Africa and the world at large. There is so much of life going on in these places, so much to savor, so much to learn from and even much more to get you inspired.
One unique attribute I find common is the STRONG SPIRIT OF
SURVIVAL expressed by every Nigerian living in these areas. I see this
attribute in the tenacity of the ‘Okpa-girl’
living in Nyanya (a suburb), who with little or no education, wakes up as early as 3 am
to prepare okpa (a yellowish coloured puddy made from the okpa plant, a
food indigenous to the ibo tribe), sets out into the city centre as early as 5am,
moving from Asokoro to Area 11 and even as far as Wuse 2 just to sell at a
better price, in order to make ends meet and to SURVIVE.
I see it in the akara woman (Mama Akara) in the heart of Galadimawa village, who fries akara in her zinc constructed hut, and from the proceeds, trains her five children through school (3 are graduates already).
I also see it in the energy of Mallam Hassan, the water vendor (Mai Ruwa) who fetches water for almost every restaurant/shop in Gishiri, with his handmade wooden truck; he loads it with at least 12 jerry cans (25 litres each) of water and moves from shop to shop, always wearing a smile, the difficult nature of his daily routine notwithstanding.
I see this also in the young bank executive who lives in Kubwa but works in Central Business District and has to be up as early as 5.30am to catch a bus if he must be at work in time.
I see it in the akara woman (Mama Akara) in the heart of Galadimawa village, who fries akara in her zinc constructed hut, and from the proceeds, trains her five children through school (3 are graduates already).
I also see it in the energy of Mallam Hassan, the water vendor (Mai Ruwa) who fetches water for almost every restaurant/shop in Gishiri, with his handmade wooden truck; he loads it with at least 12 jerry cans (25 litres each) of water and moves from shop to shop, always wearing a smile, the difficult nature of his daily routine notwithstanding.
I see this also in the young bank executive who lives in Kubwa but works in Central Business District and has to be up as early as 5.30am to catch a bus if he must be at work in time.
These Nigerians all believe in the Nigerian dream; that
through hard work, perseverance and determination, they can achieve all they desire
to achieve.
The spirit of our people…a reflection of resilience,
determination, ingenuity, patience, diligence!
Photo Credits: www.google.com
Photo Credits: www.google.com
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