Gishiri: A slum inside a modern city

Located at the base of Katampe Hill in Abuja, Gishiri is a community with a strange paradox. It is a slum right inside the beautiful city of Abuja that enjoys almost constant electricity but lacks basic social amenities and infrastructure.

Call it a slum and you will not be far from the truth. The houses, built with mud, are arranged haphazardly without any planning thoughts or aesthetics. There is no hospital or maternity centre and local pharmacist’s act as doctors to the sick in the area. There is also no secondary school and the topography of the place makes it prone to flooding, and this is largely compounded by the fact that there is total absence of drainage systems. Residents of Gishiri are predominantly illiterate farmers and traders, many of whom are of the Gbagyi tribe. Despite this, they are aware of the fact that they need some basic amenities to live better lives. Now that the rains are almost here, the people wait apprehensively for the mud that will take over the village and render it almost impassable. Edward Bati, a resident of Gishiri, says their worst nightmare is just round the corner. According to Edward, “You have not seen anything yet. When the rain starts, there will be mud everywhere and people will find it difficult to move around. The rain will remove roofs and even pull down some of the mud houses”.

Speaking to City News, the traditional ruler of the community, Chief Jonah M. Baba, said they have many needs. Speaking through an interpreter, he called on the government to come to their aid with a secondary school and a maternity centre. He also said that even if the government cannot help them with better houses, they should at least give the area better roads and a comprehensive drainage system to counter the yearly flooding in the community.

It is indeed ironical that Gishiri is nestled in the middle of two elite areas, Ministers Quarters and Gwarinpa. In fact, the almost constant supply of electricity is one of the benefits they get from being neighbours to the elite. Chief Jonah Baba says a few years ago, press reports helped bring government’s notice to the non availability of schools in their area and shortly after that, a primary school was established there. He fervently hopes that this time around too, government will take note and help them with the basic facilities they need and are asking for.