Governing from Above

228 Pages·2007·1.9 MB·English

ACTA UNIVERSITATIS STOCKHOLMIENSIS / STOCKHOLM STUDIES IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY 17
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Governing from Above n
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The focus in this study is on governance in Nigeria’s new cap- A
ital city of Abuja. The Abuja city government, like many oth- d
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ers, is seeking to reduce its role in service delivery but it faces
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many challenges. Some are related to the position of Abuja in / G
Nigeria’s history and national politics. Others have to do with the o
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complex set of relations and power structures at the local level. e
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The government saw the relocation to Abuja as an opportunity to in
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propel the country into modernity but things have not turned out as fr Governing from Above
planned. Contrary to the intention of the goverment and planners, o
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Abuja houses the fastest growing slum in the country, Nyanya. This A
b Solid Waste Management in Nigeria’s
settlement provides the setting for the discussion of the forms of o
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governance in this study. These forms are brought out by examin- e New Capital City of Abuja
ing solid waste management, a sector which, due to the many ac-
tors involved and its high visibility, is the choice for studying gov-
Onyanta Adama
ernance in service provision. Drawing on the concepts of space A
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and place and a variety of methods, including interviews, this dis- S
sertation shows how governance in Abuja is, contrary to common –
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notions, conducted at higher levels with prominent roles given to T
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federal institutions while the municipal government, community C
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and households remain largely invisible.
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Onyanta Adama is a member of the research programme on Peo- M
ple, Provisioning and Place in Africa at the Department of Human S
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Geography, Stockholm University. This work is her doctoral dis- U
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sertation. I
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[email protected] IN
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ISSN 0349-7003
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ISBN 978-91-85445-67-7 A
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Stockholm University 1
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STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY
Governing from Above
Solid Waste Management in Nigeria’s New Capital City of Abuja
Onyanta Adama
Stockholm University
Abstract
This doctoral dissertation examines how the symbolic character of a relocated capi-
tal city influences and intersects with local conditions to shape the governance struc-
ture and relations in service delivery. The focus is on Abuja, the new capital city of
Nigeria, and the sector studied is solid waste management. Abuja was planned to
avoid the numerous problems facing other Nigerian cities. Contrary to the intention
of government and planners, the city now houses the fastest growing slum in the
country. There are various possible explanations for these outcomes but this study
pays particular attention to the conception of Abuja as a symbol of national unity.
The ‘good governance’ agenda is often promoted by the World Bank and donors
as a way of handling the numerous challenges facing African governments, inclu-
ding service delivery. A major expectation of the agenda is that local governments
manage the urban development process in conjunction with an array of institutions
ranging from the private sector to community groups and households. An underlying
notion is that of a minimalist national state. This is not the case in Abuja, where
governance is conducted at higher levels and the municipal council remains largely
invisible. This is manifested in solid waste management, where the municipal coun-
cil has no jurisdiction over the sector. In addition, community groups and house-
holds play very minimal roles in the governance of services. Drawing on the con-
cepts of space and place, the study concludes that the types of institutions found and
their roles and relations are shaped by the national function of the city and the local
power relations.
The study draws on primary and secondary data. Interviews were conducted with
state officials, community leaders, households and interest groups, such as the priva-
te sector. Secondary data were obtained from government documents, studies and
newspaper reports.
Key words: governance, space, place, solid waste management, relocated capital
city, Abuja, Nigeria
© Onyanta Adama, Stockholm 2007
ISSN 0349-7003
ISBN 978-91-85445-67-7
Printed in Sweden by Universitetsservice US-AB, Stockholm, Sweden, 2007
Distributor: Almqvist & Wiksell International
Cover photographs: Top; The Labour Camp in Nyanya. Bottom; The Federal
Secretariat in the Central Areal. Photos by Onyanta Adama
This book is dedicated to my
late father, Adakole Adama.

Contents
List of Figures..................................................................................................................8
List of Tables...................................................................................................................8
Acknowledgements.........................................................................................9
Chapter 1 Introducing the Study...................................................................13
Introduction....................................................................................................................13
The Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) Problem........................................17
The Research Problem and Questions.........................................................................18
Research Approaches...................................................................................................30
Choice of Research Strategy...................................................................................30
Space/Place.............................................................................................................31
Choosing the Case Study Area...............................................................................33
Why Waste?.............................................................................................................35
Data Collection.........................................................................................................36
Data Analysis...........................................................................................................39
Chapter 2 The Study Area............................................................................41
Introduction....................................................................................................................41
The National Context.....................................................................................................42
IntroducingAbuja...........................................................................................................45
The Nigerianization of Abuja.........................................................................................48
Planning and Implementation..................................................................................49
Historical and Social Practices.................................................................................52
The Production of Nyanya.............................................................................................54
Summary.......................................................................................................................58
Chapter 3 Governance: A Space and Place Perspective.............................61
Introduction....................................................................................................................61
Capital Relocation and State Space Production...........................................................62
Mental Spaces: Nation building...............................................................................62
Territorial Spaces: Rescaling State Spaces............................................................64
Decentralization versus Centralization..........................................................................67
Forming Partnerships....................................................................................................71
The Composition......................................................................................................72
Power Relations.......................................................................................................73
Resistance...............................................................................................................78
The Gender Dimension............................................................................................78
Popular Participation.....................................................................................................82
The Urban Community and Local Politics................................................................83
Summary.......................................................................................................................86
Chapter 4 Creating Dominant Spaces: Relocating and Administering the
Capital...........................................................................................................87
Introduction....................................................................................................................87
Improving Administrative Functions..............................................................................88
Political Will and Authoritarianism.................................................................................89
Abuja as a Symbol of National Unity.............................................................................90
Creating Institutions and Administration........................................................................92
Summary.......................................................................................................................98
Chapter 5 An Overview of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM)...99
Introduction....................................................................................................................99
The Global Perspective.................................................................................................99
The Waste Hierarchy...............................................................................................99
Privatization............................................................................................................103
The National Context...................................................................................................105
Legislations/Policies...............................................................................................105
The Allocation of Functions....................................................................................106
The Abuja Situation.....................................................................................................108
Provisions in the Master Plan................................................................................108
Waste Generation, Storage, Collection and Disposal...........................................109
Spatial Differentiation in Solid Waste Services: the Historical Context.................114
The Role of Privatization........................................................................................117
Summary.....................................................................................................................119
Chapter 6 Administering Solid Waste Management...................................121
Introduction..................................................................................................................121
The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB)...................................................122
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC)................................................................123
Marginalizing the Council............................................................................................124
Poor Performance..................................................................................................124
The Lack of Jurisdiction.........................................................................................125
The Unclear Definition of Roles.............................................................................129
Limited Scope for Cooperation..............................................................................130
Limited Capacity for Resistance............................................................................132
Summary.....................................................................................................................133
Chapter 7 Co-opting the Community: The Nyanya Solid Waste Project....135
Introduction..................................................................................................................135
The Actors...................................................................................................................137
The Objectives.............................................................................................................139
Relations in the Project Management Committee (PMC)...........................................139
Intra-Community Relations..........................................................................................145
The Linkage of Traditional Authorities with the State..................................................146
Gendering Participation: The Intersection of State and Traditional Practices............151
The Gender Boundary in Waste: the Household...................................................152
Traditional Practices: the Community....................................................................153
The State as a Participant......................................................................................157
Summary.....................................................................................................................159
Chapter 8 Ridding Nyanya of Filth: Issues of Popular Participation in Solid
Waste Management....................................................................................161
Introduction..................................................................................................................161
The Low Priority Given to Waste.................................................................................162
Public or Private Good?..............................................................................................163
Waste Handling Practices...........................................................................................166
The Absence of Self-Help Initiatives...........................................................................171
History of Collective Action....................................................................................171
The Role of Community Organizations..................................................................172
Ethnic Heterogeneity and Lack of Sense of Belonging.........................................173
Why People Do Not Protest........................................................................................176
Mobilization............................................................................................................176
The Content of Local Politics.................................................................................178
Linkage and Relations with Key Actors.................................................................180
Summary.....................................................................................................................183
Chapter 9 Concluding Discussion...............................................................185
Introduction..................................................................................................................185
Usurping the Space of the Local.................................................................................186
The Contradictory and Contentious Role of Traditional Authorities............................190
Keeping Women Out...................................................................................................193
The (Un)Willingness to Participate..............................................................................195
Spatial and Social Inequality/Exclusion.......................................................................197
Conclusion...................................................................................................................198
References:.................................................................................................................199
Appendix.....................................................................................................213
The Research Process................................................................................................213
The Exploratory Phase..........................................................................................213
The Main Fieldwork................................................................................................214
Follow-up Visits......................................................................................................217
Sampling Techniques............................................................................................217
Asking Sensitive Questions...................................................................................220
Limited Data...........................................................................................................220
Validity of Data.......................................................................................................221
Major Institutions Visited and Actors Interviewed..................................................222
List of Figures
1. A boulevard leading from Asokoro district
2. A major road in and out of Abuja
3. Map of Nigeria showing the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory
4. Map of Nigeria showing the central location of Abuja
5. The Federal Capital Territory showing Phases 1, 2, 3
6. Administrative Map of the Abuja Municipal Area Council
7. Population distribution in the Federal Capital Territory
8. A major road in the Labour Camp in Nyanya
9. A section of Nyanya Village
10. The Administrative Structure in Abuja
11. NICON Hotel
12. Entrance to the disposal site at Papei in 2003
13. The same site in Papei in 2005
14. Overflowing garbage bins in Wuse district
15. A Transfer Station constructed under the solid waste project
16. A building containing baths and toilets
17. Dumping of waste in public spaces
18. The Labour Camp showing the type of buildings
19. The inside of a compound in the Labour Camp
20. Nyanya Village showing how houses are arranged
List of Tables
1. Waste Generated in Abuja City in 2001
2. Revenue collected between January and November 2003
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Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Swedish agency for development co-
operation (Sida), Department for Research Co-operation (SAREC). I also
obtained additional funds for field work from the Carl Mannerfelts and
Ahlmanns funds.
I would like to thank all those who have, in one or the other made the task
of conducting this research easier for me. I am especially grateful to my su-
pervisor, Gunilla Andrae for her advice and support. There were times that I
felt she had more faith in me than I had in myself, and that is what kept me
going. My special thanks to the head of department, Mats Widgren, who was
always there for me any time I needed some extra assistance. I would also
like to thank Andrew Byerley for his useful comments and readiness to al-
ways offer a listening ear. My heartfelt gratitude to Johan Cederström, who
assisted me with the maps, pictures and everything else he wasn’t supposed
to do. Thanks a million for your patience. I have spent quite some time in the
Department of human geography and everyone has been very kind to me. It
has especially been a pleasure interacting with my senior PPP colleagues.
Many people in Abuja contributed to making this research a reality. I am
grateful to the all the staff of the geography department, University of Abuja
for their assistance in securing some of the secondary data I have used. I
would like to thank the officials of the Federal Ministry of Environment, the
Abuja Environmental Protection Board and the Abuja Municipal Council for
their assistance in the interviews conducted. Special thanks to my assistant,
Vincent, for his continuous desire to help in any way possible. I would like
to acknowledge the assistance I got from the chief of Nyanya and Evangelist
Tanko in facilitating my access to potential interviewees.
And to my children: Ruth, Okopi and Ajonye, thanks for putting up with
my absence all these years.
Above all, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to
conduct this research.
Stockholm, May 2006
Onyanta Adama
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