Stakeholders have expressed concern over the poor sanitary conditions in Mpape, a densely populated slum in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), warning that the situation poses risks to the community and the Abuja city centre.

Over 30 per cent of Mpape residents lack access to toilet facilities, forcing many to resort to open defecation. The community, located about a 10-minute drive from the city centre, also lacks access roads, potable water, and other essential amenities.

Speaking at a one-day Stakeholders Validation Workshop themed “Mpape Sanitation Baseline Assessment Report and CWIS Performance Improvement Plan,” the Chief Executive Officer of Mangrove and Partners Ltd, Mr Timeyin Uwejamomere, criticised the stark infrastructural disparities between Abuja’s city centre and surrounding communities. He described the situation as unacceptable for the capital of Africa’s most populous nation.

Uwejamomere explained that the Mpape Sanitation Baseline Assessment was conducted under the Strengthening African Operators Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (SAO-CWIS) programme of the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

He stated, “Findings showed that over 30 per cent of the people living in the community do not have toilet facilities at all and, therefore, use the bush. There is no system for the evacuation of wastes, which, when filled, spills over into the gutters.”

He emphasised the lack of a defined strategy for conducting the Clean Nigeria campaign in the FCT, a federal government programme running for six years, due to the absence of a clear budget by the FCT administration.

Uwejamomere urged the FCTA to revisit Abuja’s regional master plan, which outlines the integration of satellite towns into the city and the development of infrastructure over time. He stressed the need to establish a system for managing onsite sanitation, advocating for the collection and treatment of waste to convert it into useful products.

He added, “We know that there are people working in that area who are using their hands to pack the waste. We must train them, encourage them to use personal protection equipment.”

And set up a government unit responsible for helping them know what to do right—a unit that will register them, regulate them, and give them the standard of work.”

The District Head of Mpape, Chief Musa Pada, also highlighted the community’s infrastructural challenges despite its proximity to the city centre. He lamented: “We don’t have water. We rely on private boreholes, and when there’s no electricity, water trucks cost N2,000. The only health facility in the community is a small health centre.” He called for a fully equipped general hospital to cater to the community’s over two million residents.