How the name ‘British America’ came about

One may wonder why some names are used for describing some places especially in Nigeria and Jos Plateau has such amazing names. Today I will be writing on this popular junction in Jos North LGA, the Plateau state capital.

PDM Office at British-America Junction

I was asking one day in a bus about why people call this junction as British American Junction and I got some funny answers with someone answering me that it was because some British and Americans had their houses around this area some years back, and I asked the person that where are the houses now? She answered that they have been converted to the school (National Film Institute) and banks I see around; then the bus driver laughed and boldly told her that it was not correct. The man further explained that this junction got its name from the British-American Insurance company that was at the junction and the man pointed to the white house (which is now the PDM – Peoples Democratic Movement Party office) located by the junction on the left when coming from the Angwan Rukuba and Lamingo route and by the right when coming from the Abbatoir and Dogon Karfe route. This house was and is the reason why the place was called “British American Junction” even when that Insurance company had since faded into history.

Shops at British America Junction

Description of the British America Junction

This junction is formed by two major axes forming a “T” junction with the Angwan-rukuba/Liberty dam road axis forming the tail of the “T” and the Abbatoir/Dogon Karfe axis meeting with the Terminus road axis to form the head of the “T”. The roads that form the head of the T are both dualized but the road that forms the tail of the “T” is not.

Traffic congestion at British America Junction

So many activities go on at this junction because the roads give access to different areas. From the junction, one could follow this road to Terminus, or people coming from Terminus could decide to pass straight to other areas through Dogon Karfe to the old airport junction; or they could pass to Abbatoir. From the same junction, one could use the angwan rukuba/liberty dam road to Angwan Rukuba or to Lamingo.

The road leading to Terminus Market while coming from Abattoir/Rayfield/Old Airport axis

ThisJunction often experiences a lot of traffic and people are often found stuck in this traffic because everyone is trying to get to his/her destination. It becomes worst on a day that the Traffic Police are not available and the people are left to struggle on their own with everyone trying to showcase their selfishness by not allowing others to pass. It becomes horrific when any automobile (most especially along Vehicle) breaks down in one of the ways. Sometimes, people try to avoid this area particularly for the “Hold up” mostly encountered.

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) at British America Junction

The road safety corps are mostly seen around the junction especially along the angwan-rukuba/liberty dam road axis and they often help in coordinating the vehicles and the Civil defense corps do help them sometimes because their office is by this axis too. The presence of the corps does help in making the ‘hold up’ reduce because the desperate Tricycle (Keke Napep – the common name in Nigeria) drivers cannot be patient to follow the queue unless they are forced by the corps and they are often seen taking the middle of the road that is not even dualized and as such, they worsen the scenario of the Hold-Up.

Diamond Bank by British America Junction, Jos

The government needs to construct a flyover at this junction just like the one recently constructed by secretariat junction to solve the issue of Traffic congestion in this area because it has been a long-standing problem for people plying this area.

Airtel Office at British American Junction, Jos

Services located around British American Junction

The junction has so many offices and Businesses near and around it and they include:

• Banks: such as Gtbank, Diamond Bank, Skye Bank, FCMB bank, Sterling Bank
• National Film Institute, NFI which is located at the blind end of the road the divides Gtbank and Diamond bank. NFI is the film Institute while NFC is Nigeria Film Corporation. (People often confuse NFI with NFC), this confusion arises because they are located near each other.

Flourish Supermarket along British American Junction

• Living Faith Church is located by the right along the road that leads to Murtala Mohammed road.
• Insurance Companies are also located along the roads that lead to the town
• Airtel Office, beside Gtbank.
• Globacom office, located next to the sterling bank by the left while going to Terminus.
• Jaji Car Dealers: located just by FCMB and on the right while going to Terminus.

Glo Office at British American Junction

• Korinjo House is located immediately after Water Board Office while coming from Abbatoir Axis. The Korinjo House is a big complex that offers services such as Sales of Furniture, Interior Decorations, and others. The Embassy of Heaven Church is also located in this complex.
• Waterboard office, this was the office that Chlorine Gas Explosion occurred in, killing a number of people some months back.
• Immigration Quarters: these are small quarters located in between the Water Board Office and Korinjo House
• LG Office: This is located by the right while going to Terminus Market. It offers the sales of LG products such as Television, Home Theater Systems, and many electronic gadgets.

Sterling Bank along British American Junction

People are seen going about their activities, there are also motor parks for cars going to Lamingo, Angwan Rukuba, and Fobur. Also seen around are shops for selling of clothes, Mai Suwa (Roasted Meat Sellers), Chemists, Eateries, Laboratories (Affinity Medical Laboratories), Fruit sellers, Cooking Gas refill and many more.

This Junction would have been a very good point for locating businesses especially for the small and medium enterprises but is hindered by limited land access. On every side around this junction, the land has been occupied or there is a ditch. This has hindered the expansion of this area and has made the construction of another road along Angwan Rukuba/ Lamingo Axis to be difficult and may incur so many funds for the construction of a dual road to help reduce the Traffic congestion often experienced along and/by this junction.