Abuja: Deserted for the Sallah break
Even commercial drivers that ply various routes in the city are beginning to feel the crunch. Aminu Bwala, a commercial taxi driver told Sunday Trust that “most people have travelled for the Sallah break and because of that, we can’t get passengers like we used to on normal working days.” While sharing in his despair, […]
Even commercial drivers that ply various routes in the city are beginning to feel the crunch. Aminu Bwala, a commercial taxi driver told Sunday Trust that “most people have travelled for the Sallah break and because of that, we can’t get passengers like we used to on normal working days.” While sharing in his despair, Olukayode Jamilu who operates a town service with his Nissan Primera car lamented that “during normal times when people are very much around, I make as much as four thousand to five thousand by mid day but now, you can see that the time is almost 3pm and I have not even made up to four thousand. People have travelled to their villages.’ He said. The Federal Government had declared Monday and Tuesday as work free in line with the Sallah celebrations.
A visit to major motor parks in the federal capital city reveals an avalanche of eager passengers waiting to board vehicles to their respective destinations. One of the travelers who spoke to this reporter expressed relief that the holidays came at the right time. According to him, “I am so happy that the Sallah holidays came at this time especially since I can take the whole weekend off including Monday and Tuesday to attend to some urgent family matters at home.” Another traveler, who gave his name as Monday Sebastian said ““I really thank God for this holiday because it has given me the opportunity to travel home to do one or two things before Christmas. I am not a Muslim, but this holiday will go a long way in helping me achieve something because, with the nature of my job, I could not just travel like that except for this kind of opportunity. So, I am really happy”
Ahmad Saheed, another resident who spoke to Sunday Trust at ABC Transport, Utako park emphasized that festive activities are best celebrated with family members. ““I have to be with my family for the Sallah celebration because that is the only way I can enjoy the festival. At a period as this, it is always good for families to unite and celebrate together. I am a student at the University of Abuja and my family is in Jos so I have to be with them”, he explained.
However, James Onoh, a resident of Garki ll, Abuja attributed the reason why the city is always deserted during festive periods like Sallah and Christmas. According to him “it is expected that Abuja will be dry like this during public holidays because majority of those who live here have their wives and children elsewhere. Since only a few people can afford to bring their family here as a result of the unaffordable cost of accommodation, many residents who work here prefer to leave their families in other parts of the country and visit them during public holidays like this.”
While sharing in Onoh’s argument, Patience Okafor, a civil servant at the civil service commission Abuja explained that “the reason why many people leave Abuja during the festive periods is because, this is a civil service city where almost everybody who leaves here is civil servants who works in a government ministry and since most people don’t have their families here, the only time they can reunite with their loved ones is during festive period like this.”
However, while most residents take advantage of the holiday to travel to their villages, people like Kelvin Ajayi stayed back to savor the beauty of the city. According to him, “periods like this are good for family reunion and get together so during public holidays like this, I usually take my family to the various parks and gardens in Abuja to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. My favorite park is the millennium park where you can relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mother Nature. Aside from this, we sometimes visit the Abuja children zoo in Asokoro. So it is a period of relaxation and bonding with my family.”
While motorists and commercial taxi operators continue to lament the downturn of commercial activities, the major bus parks in the metropolis are however jam-packed with residents who are eager to enjoy the Sallah break with their loved ones outside Abuja.