Residents of Abuja have decried the poor sanitary condition of Jabi Motor Park, the central park in the nation’s capital city.
Some of the residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday, stressed the need to give the park a befitting look.
One of them, Mrs Sola Balogun, told NAN that she used the park for her trips to Akure for business transactions.
Balogun said “I am telling you that the state of this park is unacceptable; does it mean that we cannot do anything right? Must everyone own a car; can’t one enjoy decency in our public places anymore? It is really unfortunate.’’
A textiles trader, Mrs Amina Sule, said ‘’It is so sad that those living close to this park and those commuters using the park are as guilty as those managing it. ‘What you see around the park always is appalling but one needs to move on; see how everywhere is littered with filth, faeces and smell of urine oozing out from all angles.’’
Similarly, a taxi driver Mr Ayo Deji, who said he brings passengers to the park every day, rued the state of sanitation and general maintenance of the facility.
‘’The park is used only by people like you and me and not by the rich people; someone should care that this indiscriminate urination in the open can cause outbreak of diseases.
‘’Yes, I see them sweeping at about 6 a.m. but they cannot maintain the cleanliness of the park for the whole day,’’ Deji said.
However, two members of the National Union of Road and Transport Workers (NURTW), Jabi Motor Park branch, agreed that the park should lead the others in cleanliness and orderliness since it is the biggest in Abuja.
‘’In this park, there are five points where toilet facilities are available, each with bathrooms and toilets; the place is clean but you must pay N10 to urinate, N30 to use the toilet and N40 to use the bathroom. Jabi Motor Park is the biggest motor park in Abuja and must be given attention,’’ Mr Abubakar Ustaz, a member of the NURTW, said.
Another union member, Mr Mohammed Salifu, urged the government to renovate the park to make it a money-spinning venture.
‘’We wish that the government could help to build this park properly and to provide all necessary facilities; this will allow them to make money from the park. It will also provide employment opportunity for the people,” Salifu added.
Also speaking with NAN, the Head of Environment Department of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Mr Abdulrazaq Abdulkarim, urged those using the facility to keep it tidy at all times.
Abdulkarim further said that each market or motor park under AMAC jurisdiction has its own sanitation committee, which handles the environmental sanitation issues, which he said sometimes, they give it out to contractors that default most of the time.