Living L’Abuja Loca: An Eerily Entertaining Metaphor Of Life In Africa’s Most Planned City

For whom has the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja been developed for? Who is meant to benefit from this artificial city built off the fruits of the nation’s collective wealth? 

This, the play, Living L’Abuja Loca set out to explore. And who better to examine it than former Lagos resident and film/theatre executive, Eniola Shitta, recently relocated to Abuja. 

Producer Shitta, and director Kenneth Uphopho bring their unique theatric perspective in visualizing the city, the people and its inherent idiosyncrasies that culminates to what it is today.

In Living L’Abuja Loca, beyond relocating the indigenes to the fringes of the city, Abuja comfortably harbours the political class, for whom all security details have been assigned, and no officers left to secure the persons and property of the citizenry. The police are handicapped from maintaining law and order because the organiser of an illegal motor racing sport in the city is the son of the army commander, not to mention a higher-ranking police official has attached security detail to his ‘small madam’. Similarly, hardworking residents in the city are groaning under the multiple taxes levied at their businesses, and government only releases five percent of the city’s budget/project allocation, while the city is left to source the deficit. 

Shitta and Uphopho did a commendable job visualizing these satirical situations glimpsed in the contemporary Abuja society: from the police muster point to the city gate, to the internal battle and sabotage in the city’s ministry between the Keys To The City project coordinator, Madam Ene and her subordinates as both parties seek to pocket public funds for their personal benefits; and the clever parallel drawn between the Gbagyis, and the artistes, highlighting their dispensability and lack of importance to the government. The climatic point of the production is its depiction of the shenanigans of the political elite who pretend to have a conscience once the status quo is not favourable to them, only to do an un-apologetical turnaround once the status quo suits them, in order words bribed. The Front Party (TFP)/ Truth Alliance Party (TAP) scene is a classic and easily a standalone piece. 

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Although, the play raises the question of the place of foreigners born and raised in Nigeria and running successful businesses in the country, it doesn’t put that question in the context of monies repatriated by the foreigners to their countries rather than invested in the economy? How long such monies circulate in the Nigerian economy or does it only circulate within the for instance, Lebanese community in Nigeria before repatriated to Lebanon? Because if the latter, then it in no way contributes to the economy of the nation. Further, there is still the continuation of the contention between Lagos-based and Abuja-based artistes, where the former believes the latter are less hardworking, and lack the skills to deploy the many potentials or the capacities that the capital city – devoid of a national theatre and a national library, has to offer.

Finally, the main question of the plot was never answered. The play sought to find and hand over the keys of the city to that person or people, who gets to lead the city for a year – as a major. In the end, the competition never held and a winner never emerged. This is clearly shown in The Front Party scene where floor members were duped by their leader and delegates. The audience saw two of such floor members though not quite comfortable with the about-face done by their leaders when money changed hands at the event, felt they had no choice but to remain with the party; they are juxtaposed with the clueless ones that danced to the resolution oblivious that money had changed hands, money that will never get to them. Hence, the ‘real people’ never had the chance to run the city, and probably won’t run the city for a long time. Perhaps, that is the perspective that being an outsider, or a newcomer Shitta wanted to show the resilient residents of the city.