On a typical weekday evening between 4 pm and 8 pm, motorists on the Nyanya-Karshi road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) suffer through a gridlock. Long lines of vehicles moving inch by inch, tricycles squeezing through the littlest gaps, and riders lifting their motorcycles to drive on the kerb.
Amid the crawl, the air is thick with the cloying smell of wet garbage. It rained the day before; now the Karu dumpsite between St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Masalachi junction stinks twice as bad, with water seeping into the road to form a reeking puddle.
As tyres track the water, spreading the smell even further, local garbage collectors offload even more rubbish, and herders can be seen leading their cows to the dumpsite to graze.
When the traffic is particularly bad, impatient motorists opt to use the opposite lane, thereby worsening the traffic condition and exposing road users to the risk of accidents.
Directly opposite the dumpsite is a line of mechanic shops. The shop owners were quick to express their frustration with the situation and the dangers it continues to pose.
“Accidents happen a lot. People with broken legs would cross, not knowing that people are doing one way,” Olamide, a mechanic who has run his shop for more than 10 years, said. “It’s been up to four months since they last cleared it. We are paying the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). We are paying for the shop and the signboard. If they can come and clear it more frequently, it will be good.”
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