It is one common phenomenon to find makeshift buildings in different rural communities spread across the world, especially those nomadic settlements built with mud or blocks. However, what is not common is a community where the ‘super sacks’ houses are in vogue. In a rural Federal Capital Territory, FCT, a tribe lives inside such sacks as homes. Chris Onokpegu writes.
Joseph Okeh resides in Oshodi, a suburb of Lagos and while he was watching a documentary on the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, he fell in love with the serene lush environment and an array of adorable plants littered with beautiful buildings scattered across the city.
Due to the rowdiness in Lagos coupled with the traffic jam usually experienced on daily basis, Okeh decided to relocate to Abuja . However, little did he know that not every part of Abuja is beautiful. There is always a Soweto sharing a common boundary with Johannesburg.
On arrival in Abuja, he was surprised by what he saw along the Airport Road. A village built mainly with super sack. Okeh was surprised and was forced to ask if he was really within the Abuja environment which picture he used to watch on television.
Okeh is just one of those who are surprised to see a village built with sacks. A tour across the FCT shows that the “sack village” is becoming the new trend, especially among the downtrodden who cannot afford the high rent in the territory.
During a visit, Friday Magazine had discovered that the sack houses are commonly seen along the Airport Road, especially among the villages around the airport, Kugbo and along Nyanya-Keffi Road. Such homes are also springing up at new districts like Guzape, the place meant for the high and mighty in the society. As at the last count, the trend has spread across the FCT, including Asokoro.
One of the residents of the “sack village” in Kubo, Mohammed Bello said it is not their intention to stay in such places. He narrated how his house was demolished by the Mallam Nasir el-Rufai administration in Pykassa in 2006.
He said after the demolition exercise, he relocated to Bassa village and built another house, but the Department of Development Control of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, rendered him homeless once again by turning his house to ruins. Bello said that frustration had prompted him to stay inside the makeshift house popularly called ‘sack house’ because it is mobile and anti demolition.
Bello said he cannot afford to spend his hard-earned money on the construction of another house when he is not sure whether it would be spared or not. He claimed that if what he had put up is destroyed, he would not lose or have cause to regret. He however revealed that though his family members are exposed to mosquitoes and reptiles, but he has no choice than to continue staying there to shield from the naked world.
As for Joseph Okonkwo, a bus conductor who lives in one of the makeshift sack homes in Lugbe, a suburb of Abuja, he explained that he stays in such an environment because he cannot afford the high rent in the city.
He claimed that the little money he earns from his job is not enough to take care of his family, let alone rent an accommodation, hence he decided to join a friend to stay in such an environment.
Okonkwo said he would rather get a parcel of land and start building something on it in his village, rather than waste so much money on paying for a rented accommodation in Abuja.
In the case of Bamidele Oguntade, whose house was also demolished alongside others in Bassa-Jiwa, near the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Road, Abuja, life has never remained the same with him.
Bamidele, who came to Abuja from Lagos on transfer, said he had spent all his savings to acquire a land in Bassa-Jiwa, because of the high cost of rent in the territory. He got a land from one of the chiefs in Bassa-Jiwa who in turn gave him some “documents” of the land. However, little did they know that the Gbagyis, as indigenes of Abuja, do not have any right to sell land to anybody as land belongs to the federal government.
Unfortunately, for him and others, their houses were demolished by the Department of Development Control, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, AMMC. Bamidele said he had no choice than to relocate to the ‘sack village’ while his family relocated to Lagos. He has learnt to adjust to village life. According to him, he wakes up early morning to take his bath and go into the bush to do other things. He said he is just staying there for the main time to enable him gather things before looking for a decent accommodation.
He disclosed he had to bear some of the illicit activities in the area, saying that it’s one of the reasons he decided to move out of the area to avoid being raided by the police.
Our findings show that people who stay in the sack house in Kugbo are mainly the cattle rearers, mechanics, vulcanisers, and others who sell motor spare parts at the Kugbo mechanic village.
Sack villages are not peculiar to Abuja. Recently at Old Karu, Nasarawa State, some commercial sex workers had made chalets mainly of super sack. The sacks were destroyed by the Nassarawa Urban Development Board, NUDB, during a demolition exercise in the area. Sack villages are also seen at the boundary between Abuja and Nassarawa State mainly used by women of easy virtues.
In many quarters, the use of sack homes is being discouraged and suggestion is being made for the provision of houses or involvement of private sector in the provision of affordable houses to discourage people from staying in indecent houses, or staying in sack house and avoid endangering their lives to reptiles and other dangerous animals.
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