Gate - the The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC)

of the key informant interview and the social mapping that followed. Mpape, like other locations
such as Kubwa, Dutse and Deidei is important for the following reasons:
� High density population dominated by low income groups and the unemployed.
� Existence of hotels, beer palors and other activities which expose people to high risk sexual
behavior
� Strong presence of construction companies and workers indicating the potentials of the town
in terms of expansion.
The team arrived Mpape around 2pm. But what was expected to be a snappy visit turned out to be
rather prolonged because of a traffic hold up in the center of the town. The fact that Mpape has only
one major road leading into the town without clearly marked adjoining streets creates additional
problem in attempting to avoid such a situation.
Mpape is located on a hill on the right side of the express road running from Asokoro to Zuba,
opposite the Maitama district, AMAC. Although the team did not seek information on the origin of
the town, Mpape is one of the surviving Gbagyi villages. In the past ten years or so, the town has
witnessed phenomenal growth and expansion as a result of the influx of other Nigerians who have
outgrown the population of the natives. Mpape offers attraction to workers and new arrivals to Abuja
because it offers relatively cheap accommodation. For many middle rank civil servants and those
engaged in self-employment, the relatively cheap cost of plots has made Mpape attractive for
building own houses. The photograph (below) is taken at the start of the main street that bisects the
community.
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