One Ever Busy Crescent

A bird’s eye-view of Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent

Yonge Street in Toronto, Berk Hampstead Street in England and Broadway in New York are all in a certain class of their own. The world has come to know these streets as the longest in the world, longest high street in England and one of the longest streets in the United States respectively. And then there is Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent in Wuse, Abuja.

This crescent has more than one jewelled feather in her cap. High street of Abuja, longest crescent in the city, and Abuja’s exclusive shopping district have all been conferred to Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent. Named after foremost Nigerian jurist Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, a prince of Egba Kingdom, this crescent spells royalty- as if commoners were forbidden from drawing near.

With its long, windy roads, Abuja residents throng Adetokunbo Ademola in the day and at night. Highly commercialised with executive shopping malls (Exclusive Stores, Amigo), exclusive apartment buildings (the crescent begins with Peniel Apartments), hotels (Chelsea, Rockview, Valencia), art galleries (Torch of Africa and Instant Portraits), bookshops (Pen & Pages, Book Plus, Next Level Books) and of course high-end furniture stores (Alibert, Choice, Fezel, Vina), no other place features modern architecture, stylish interiors and a collection of social amenities that create uniquely connected and incredibly convenient lifestyle.

Residents of this crescent can exist comfortably for years without stepping foot outside of it for sustenance. From designer clothing stores (Grosvenor Mayfair London) to telecommunication companies (Airtel and Visafone) to banks (every bank in Nigeria) and electronic shops (SAMSUNG, LG, Sharp), Adetokunbo Ademola has become the core of all sorts of activities in Abuja. Also not left out of this royal crescent are government agencies (EFCC, PHCN, NEMA, NITF).

Traffic at all sides of Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent is heavy at peak hours- mornings and evenings. At the West end of the crescent is the road leading to Abuja’s famous market- the Wuse Market. This accounts for a huge dose of traffic activity at certain times of the day. As the day winds down however, liveliness reduces as shops and offices close their doors for business. At that point, another set of crowd emerges- the night- crawlers, including fun- creators, fun- seekers and fun- givers.

The crescent’s clubs (Auto Lounge, Cubana, Klub Vaniti, Play Sports Bar, Verdict Karaoke, Sofa Lounge), pubs, restaurants ( Ciao Italian Restaurant, Ocean 11 Seafood, La Dolce Vita, Lazeez Restaurant, New Reno’s) and bars (Elevation Bar), continuously attract Abuja residents.

Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent is truly the centre of all sorts of activity in Abuja. Day or night, this crescent has its plate full of bustle for residents and visitors alike. Not even her introduction into a controlled-parking zone has slowed this place down.