Beware! Most Abuja ‘big boys’ live in their cars

"Fine boy in a flashy car, but his clothes are in the boot," Betty said.

Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory, Abuja tops the list of cities in the country with the highest cost of rent.

This may not make news to most people. What would be news some of the tricks most residents have devised to overcome this challenge.

From squatting with friends and families, some Abuja residents have 'converted' their cars to houses.

These cars do not just serve as means of transportation, they provide shelter to the owner, all day, everyday.

Here’s how it works… Car in the day, house at nights.

This used to be a trend in motor parks but surprisingly, the harsh economic condition has forced some residents to embrace this culture.

“Most of these big boys in town with flashy cars do not have houses. All they do is using the car as bait to get girls, take them out and thereafter, to the hotel. Their clothes are in the boot; they do not have houses. I know what I’m saying," Betty said as she recounts her experience with her ex-boyfriend.

She has more…

“I dated this guy for a ten months and he never took me to his house. Met him at a popular hangout spot in Wuse 2 and there was this connection between us and that was it. We either end up in a hotel or he’s in my house. I didn’t have any problem with it until about four months into the relationship.

“When I asked, he said he stays at Utako but his ailing dad was with him at the time. He had an excuse every time I said we should go to his place."

Then this happened…

“On that fateful day, I collected his key to pick something from the car and I saw three shoes hidden behind the drivers’ seat. I looked behind the other seat and there was his palm. I decided to check his boot and I saw clothes from the dry cleaner, a bag full of boxers and inners, his two blazers and sucks. I still did not understand until I saw an electric kettle, a photo album.

“I went in and confronted him. He confessed to living in his car. Charles said he’ll park his car at some of these big hotels in town and sleep in the car. He takes his bath at public bathrooms for N50 daily for over a year. I was shocked!

“After that incident, I felt really bad because I could have asked him to move in if he had told me. I stopped picking his calls afterwards and that was the end. He also felt really terrible when I found out."

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Betty has a word for Abuja girls…

“I always girls to at advice to these girls is that they should at least try to know the house of whoever they are dating. Boys hardly rent houses in Abuja,” she said.

So you heard it. Your Man Crush Monday may not be lying when he said he stay at Asokoro.

However, he may be sleeping inside his car at the parking lot of a popular hotel.

Don’t say we didn’t tell you.