By Olokuta Rofiat
The Abaji roundabout on the Abuja-Lokoja highway has become an unofficial dumpsite, sparking health and environmental concerns among residents and travelers.
A visit to the area showed heaps of refuse that have remained unattended for more than two months, despite earlier directives from the local environmental department instructing traders to deposit waste there for evacuation.
Residents say the neglect has turned the gateway into Abuja into an eyesore and a health hazard.
“Whenever it rains, you have to cover your nose because of the bad odor. Yet some women still hawk food there, which is dangerous,” one resident lamented.
A shop owner, Muazu Ibrahim, explained that traders complied with the directive to dump waste at the roundabout but have since been left to live with the stench after evacuation stopped. Another resident described the situation as “embarrassing,” noting that visitors entering Abuja from the eastern axis are welcomed first by the stench and sight of rotting garbage.
An official of the environmental department, who asked not to be named, blamed the crisis on the non-payment of contractors by the FCT Administration.
He disclosed that the company in charge of waste evacuation halted operations after being owed for nine months.
The situation is part of a wider sanitation crisis in the FCT, where contractors have protested the non-payment of over ₦5 billion for services already rendered, crippling waste evacuation and other essential environmental services.
