Population increases in the FCT, Abuja have fuelled the growth of overcrowded and insanitary living conditions for many poor people. Much environmental degradation is both caused by overcrowded living conditions, and at the same time is a symptom of the failure of city managers to provide essential services and allocate land for housing development in these areas. The overall challenge has been for policy makers to create the conditions within which poor people can have the space and opportunity to maximise the benefits that urbanisation presents, and to reduce the conditions which impede that process.
Towns and cities are well placed to provide access to a wide range of services at a relatively low cost. This means that poor people should benefit from improved health care, better education opportunities, and a wide range of services and products which support different labour markets. Unfortunately, for many poor urban people, in the FCT, this is not the case. Many are socially excluded on the grounds of cost, discriminatory administrative and legal practices; and through failures of the political process and the efforts of urban managers and social programmes to keep pace with the growth of settlements on the urban fringe where many poor residents live. Many non-recognised slums for instance, even in city centres, are not considered to be part of the city, and therefore receive no civic amenities or legal protection.
In the area of public and private services provision to mitigate the environmentalT effects of the conditions within which they live – accumulations of solid waste, human excrement, polluted water sources, high levels of indoor air pollution, security of tenure and lack of access to housing, the lack of access to basic utilities forces the poor to pay many more times the unit cost of some utilities like water and energy than the rich do. To cite just few communities facing this kind of problems in the FCT are: Lugbe, Karmo, Chika, Karu, Tudun Wada, Gosa, Sauka, Jiwa, Mpape among the numerous communities in the city.
In this context, the challenge is to ensure that poor people are able to participate in and benefit from the process of urban development. In the first instance, the urban poor need somewhere secure and healthy to live and they need to have access to a broad range of essential services. Alongside this, policy makers must support the development of social, political and legal structures which are inclusive and provide opportunities for all people, including the poor and disadvantaged, to obtain the services they want and need, and to participate actively in development and political processes.
In recognition of this huge gap that existed between the rich, poor, leaders and the led and to ensure sustainable human settlement development in Nigeria and beyond a coordinated effort by all stakeholders especially the poor themselves creating a platform where they can discuss and put their issues in to perspectives for action to improve their living condition is now.
Desmond Chieshe
Programme Officer Human Settlement
Women Environmental Programme (WEP)
Abuja, Nigeria
