Masaka is a town in New Karu local government area of Nasarawa state. Itis a very big town offering hospitality for people living at the outskirt of Abuja.

An over-head Bridge in Masaka

Itis bounded by some towns and villages and provides access to different places within Nasarawa state and to Abuja. From this place, one could go to Keffi, or Marababa and Nyanya.
It is a place that has rapidly developed within a short time largely due to its proximity to Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. Many people working in Abuja cannot afford to live inside the central area of Abuja because the cost of living is high, hence they people prefer to stay at the outskirts of Abuja in other to be able to afford the cost of transportation and others; Masaka among other towns such as Marababa, Karu, Nyanya, Apo etc are places that people prefer to live while working in Abuja than within the central area of Abuja.

Electronic shops in Masaka

Itis highly populated and there are so many businesses in diverse areas.People working in Abuja can easily get taxis to work within this area. Areas bounding Masaka include: Area 1, Angwan Soja, Gwandara and Kodape.

Though this areais a busy town and the population is overwhelming, there are other basic social and economic facilities needed which are in shortage.It is still in need of electricity as most of the areas have their electrical power being shared in which one area might have lightfor two days and then the power is taken for another two days and vice versa. This issue of electricity distribution has been like this for years. Sometimes, some areas may not even have light for months.

Masaka Motor Park: from here, you could get a car to Kano, Kaduna and Bauchi

This placebecame populated immediately after the destruction of houses in Abuja when Nasir El-Rufai was the Minister of FCT, this made people to relocate to this area. Another scarce resource iswater, especially during the dry season as wells become dried up and people would have to resort back to buying of water from truck pushers. Even though itis a populated area, it does not have high incidence of social vices compared to other similar areas like Mararaba and Nyanya; but even with the population and the heavy business activities that goes on in this area, there is nosingle commercial bank and hence the people would have to go to Mararaba or Nyanya to carry out banking transactions and even a single ATM machine cannot be found in this large business area.

Some Important Institutions in Masaka

Some institutions, motels and schools located in this place include:

• Key science secondary school
• Triton International School
• Hara Foam industry
• Schools: such as Gods Own School College; Fodeh Foundation Nursery and Primary School.
• Marijo Guest Inn
• Various kinds of Shops

Abuja Express way seen from the top of the Over head Bridge in Masaka

While coming from Keffi, the road is well tarred and has two lanes which help to reduce the traffic congestion often experience especially on Friday, the Market day and business activities are often intensified coupled with the fact that the market is by the Nasarawa/Abuja high way.

Weather condition could be harsh sometimes especially around March, April and May when the weather becomes so hot and humid that one can even be sweating while bathing. It can become so serious that some people who cannot afford to fuel their generators will turn to sleeping outside within their compounds on varenders in order to grace the little fresh air and to be able to sleep.

Garbage men at a dumping place just near the main road near Masaka Market

The nature of soil in most parts of this areais mostly loamy soil with few areas having sandy soil. Because of the nature of the soil, residents often have farms by the outskirts especially for those that do not have Office Jobs. This is reflected by the crops sold in the Market where a certain part of the market is dedicated for the sale of Crops such as cereals, canes, legumes, tubers, vegetables and fruits which are mostly grown within and around thisarea.

The Market is every Friday of the week and people from all over Nasarawa state come to buy and sell. In fact, some people from Jos do bring in eggs, cabbage, potatoes etc mainly from markets such as the FarinMarket and Terminus Market and then buy some items in order to go and sell in Jos such as Yams and groundnuts. It is indeed a vast market with all kinds of items for sell. The only downside of this market is the unavailability of even a single commercial bank or even an ATM machine.

Building materials sold near Masaka Market

The need for environmental sanitation should be taken seriously by the environmental sanitation board of Nasarawa state because most populated areas without strict sanitation often serve as breeding grounds for outbreak of diseases such as cholera. In fact, heaps of refuse can be seen in some communities and it becomes worst during the rainy season when the Market area becomes so muddy that some areas become water logged.

Selling of Mortar and Pestle near the Masaka Market

Social Facilities in Masaka

There are social facilities available such as internet caf, Computer centers/Printing, Wood work and Furniture, Filling stations (Total, ), Churches, Mosques, Schools, Bars and Restaurants, recreational areas, hospitals such as Nissi Hospital and Maternity.

University near by

This areadoes not have any university currently, but Bingham (ECWA) University is located near it even though it is actually locatedin Kodape.