Owning just a
piece of land in Abuja central is not what the rich can afford; you must be
wealthy, super rich to dare. For the rich however, there are options. A hundred
square meters in some of Abuja’s outskirts like Lugbe, Bwari, Kuje and Kubwa
would sell for about N10, 000 000 (ten million naira) and that is when the land
is in areas that are yet to completely welcome development, otherwise, you may
be required to pay double the amount. However, as a second choice, some diehard
Abuja fans devised other means to have contact with the city without spending
so much on shelter – they would rather reside in neighboring states with
reasonable proximity to Abuja. Cost of properties or rental in places like
Nyanya, Mararaba (Nasarawa State) and Zuba, Suleja (Niger State) are fairly
bearable, but you may have to spend some more on transportation. Driving
through the streets of Abuja, you will feed your eyes with array of exquisitely
designed houses, scattered all over the streets of Maitama, Utako, Jabi,
Gwarimpa, Wuse, Asokoro, Garki etc. They have one thing in common – they are
empty, unoccupied completed buildings and guessing why they are unoccupied is
easy. Housing seems to be the highest mountain to climb on the road to living
in Abuja; if shelter does not send you out of the city, you can survive
everything else. ( more after the cut)
The cost of shopping in Abuja is also not
friendly to the average or middle class. This owes mainly to the high cost of
shop rental. Like residential houses, owning or renting a shop, office space or
mall in Abuja is not funny. In most cases, renting business or office spaces
are way more expensive than doing same for residential homes. This has aided
the very expensive cost of shopping in Abuja. Prices of clothes, shoes,
furniture, electronics and other household items are way more expensive than
buying same in other Nigerian cities. “This is Abuja” they would quickly
interject when you are trying to negotiate cost. Some boutiques and fashion
homes sell a pair of shoe for as much as N500, 000; a suit for over a million
naira, wrist watch for between N80, 000 and N300, 000; perfume for as much as
N70, 000 and other fashion gadgets at outrageous prices. However, the city
offers affordable alternatives that suit your purse. In some areas, you can get
a pair of new shoes for N1, 500, or less; I only hope you can use it more than
once. Secondary schools in Abuja also possess a reputation for being expensive.
The most appealing of these private secondary schools are the British and
American International Schools. Some topnotch locally owned private schools are
also in this category. These schools cost between N450, 000 and N2 million per
term, and yes! Some families have four or more children in these schools at the
same time. Putting up with the cost of healthcare in Abuja is also an uphill
task. It is fairly less expensive to patronize government-owned hospitals.
However, for the sake of prompt and better professional services which the
private hospitals seem to render, the cost of medical consultation is on the
high side. To be granted access to a medical doctor for consultation in some of
Abuja’s privately-owned hospital may require a deposit of between N20, 000 and
N50, 000, and in some cases, even more. I recently saw a movie in a good
standard cinema house in Benin and I paid N600. Well, you would have to put
together the cost of three tickets in Benin to see a movie in Abuja.
Other
forms of entertainment ventures are not cheaply enjoyed in the city; you must
earn much to enjoy much. Remunerations for services rendered in the city are
also an avenue for excessive spending. Some barber’s shops in Abuja charge a
service fee of between N500 and N5000 for a haircut; ditto hairdressing salon
for females. Laundry charges are also as high as twice the amount payable in
other Nigerian cities like Benin, Asaba, Owerri and Ibadan. Living in Abuja is
money consuming; it seems the presence of most government officials resident in
the city has obliterated traces of clemency from the heart of service providers
and business owners. Maybe the city was designed for a few as a top politician
once said. So before you think of migrating to Nigeria’s capital city, take the
baby step and decide if you are willing to put up with the financial
obligations associated with residing in Abuja.
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