By Clement Adeyi & Kenny Folowosele
With an exquisite road network and relative peace engendered in Abuja by the administration of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, nightlife has returned to the nation’s capital.
ThisNigeria paints vivid pictures of scenarios at some city centres.
Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan cities in Africa.
With a population of over 2.5 million as recorded by the National Population Commission (NPC), it is currently the fourth biggest metropolitan city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, and Ibadan.
Abuja has different indigenous tribes such as Amwamwa, Bassa, Egbira, Gade, Ganagana, Gbagyi, Gbari, Gwandara, and Koro.
Other major Nigerian tribes living in Abuja and its environs include Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa.
Also, several minor tribes such as Igala, Idoma, Tiv, Ijaw, Ebira, Igede, Ishan, Ibibio, Kanuri, Fulani, etc. live in Abuja.
Despite the tribal diversity, all the different tribes in the city live in peace and harmony.
Nightlife, especially social life, used to be a regular and special feature in Abuja, especially in the city centres. But the tempo later dropped significantly due to insecurity challenges which have been a recurrent decimal in the country.w
The common and or regular insecurity challenges in Abuja include ‘one chance,’ kidnapping, and robbery.
Residents used to sleep with one eye open, while many others lived with apprehension over the insecurity of lives and property.
Kidnapping and ‘one chance’ in particular became so rampant that residents, especially those who delight in night clubbing and social life at night, were scared of coming out at night for social activities.
But since the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, came on board and put functioning apparatuses in place through security agencies to tackle insecurity, the spate of the challenge has given way to relative peace.
Following the return of relative peace as well as a good road network as well as street lights put in place by Wike’s administration, residents not only feel secure as they enjoy security, but they can also go out freely at night without fear of attack.
With this appreciable measure of convenience, nightlife has returned to Abuja as people can now frolic at cool spots, clubs, and relaxation centres from evenings till the wee hours of the night and return home safely.
In so many city centres, there is an electrifying world of entertainment.
At nightlife scenes, booze, music, dance, drinks, and food of different varieties are common experiences enjoyed by people who go to joints at night to enjoy life.
One of the most popular arenas is Whiskey Mistress Restaurant, Lounge, and Night Club Limited located in Wuse 2.
It opens every day at 4pm for dinner and remains open until the wee hours of the morning to provide customers with amazing entertainment, food, and drinks as well as late-night experiences.
In some nightlife experiences, life is infectious, the ambiance is electrifying and the memories are unforgettable.
A resident, Mr Olaitan Sunday, who shared his experience, said that public places that people dreaded at night due to insecurity had been lighted with street lights and security measures put in place.
“As a resident of Jabi District of Abuja, I can boldly say that nightlife has returned to the city centre, owing to the massive infrastructure and light here put in place by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike,” he said.
“His commitment to the rapid development of the city centre has contributed significantly to a peaceful and social life atmosphere at city centres,” he added.
“The good road network in my area and streetlights have restored my confidence to move around the city at night to have fun at the weekends. Not only me, but several other residents now enjoy life at night in public places.
A journalist who preferred anonymity said, “I’m a journalist. I always leave work very late from work. I used to sleep in the office after production due to insecurity in Abuja and the bad roads that link the city to the outskirts where I live.
“But now that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has restored security and fixed the road, nightlife has returned to the city. I no longer sleep in the office because even if I leave by 1.00 am, I can get home safely. At night, you even see people on the roads, especially people who are closed from work, clubs, and relaxation centres because they feel safe.”
At Santiago Resorts in Utako, Central Park, Central Business District, and Wuse, life bubbles with enthusiasm at night.
During a visit to the place, a lodger, Ameen Oniye, who came in around 5:48 pm, told ThisNigeria that the place had always been his abode whenever he came to Abuja.
“As you can see, this place is bubbling and that is how it had always been until all manners of criminal activities in Abuja restricted people, especially lodgers to their rooms.
“But in recent times, nightlife has started gaining momentum. We as human beings are social animals and should unwind, especially at night. We have started doing that because of the relative peace made possible by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike,” he added.
