Parks and gardens are created for aesthetics of the environment. Apart from aesthetics, people need parks and gardens for a breath of fresh air. At least, that is how it should be.

In some parts of Maitama, Abuja, however, the essence of some of the gardens set up for such a purpose may have been abused.

On Ibrahim Babangida Boulevard, towards the area referred to as Ministers Hill are two gardens. The beauty of these gardens can only be imagined. The first is called 'Step Down Garden'. It is situated down the hill and a staircase leads to the garden.

The flowers in and around the garden are superb and the trees are rich. Together, they give a feeling of tranquility, a picture of a place one would like to sit to clear ones head and relax when.

Only 300 metres away from 'Step Down' is another garden, 'After Five'. This one is just on top of a small hill and down the hill, a small stream flows. While it is not a waterfall, the sound of the soft flow of the stream feels like balm on frayed or tired nerves.

Unfortunately though, no one who seeks tranquility or who wants to calm frayed nerves visits either of the gardens on IBB Boulevard. This is because they have been turned into what people resident in that area freely referred to as "joints".

What happens at 'Step Down Garden' is that the moment it is after work hours, big cars line up on the road; every one of them coming for an evening of drink.

Alcoholic brews and pepper soup are sold till the small hours of the morning in this joint, but from the road, all you see is the cars until you "Step down" yourself.

As you descend the steps, the first thing that hits you is the air made very heavy by cigarette smoke, followed by the noise of already drunk men and young ladies. The same goes for 'After five Garden', both of them in the midst of peace loving residents.

Christiana Esla, a student of J.S.S. Model, Maitama, has to walk past the gardens on her way to and from school every day. She has this to say: "They have spoilt these gardens. They come here and smoke and drink and they mess up the place. It is sad because these gardens were meant for relaxation, especially for children who live around here. But instead, they have turned it into a place where the children are even afraid to pass by.

"I am normally scared when I walk through this street because I am afraid that some one may attack me," the young school girl said.

Christiana is not the only one who feels insecure with the set-up at the 'Step Down' and 'After Five' Gardens in that neighbourhood. A house wife, Mo Heman, is of the view that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities must do something about the joints.

"I am sure government did not set aside those areas for drinking joints. I believe that they intended to make the place green areas where families can pack a picnic basket and have fun. You can really enjoy such an environment, you know? Just sitting there and watching the green of the trees and colours of the flowers.

"What they are now, I can not say. The way they look, especially at night, they are like dens for mischief makers. Some decisive action needs to be taken on those gardens. People living in this area are not comfortable with what the gardens have become," she said.

Mrs. Heman is more convinced that the drinking joints are operating in those gardens illegally because some time ago, the operators were chased out by government officials during (Nasir) el-Rufai's tenure as FCT Minister.

"But somehow, some of them sprung back and have continued to operate as they used to. If officials of the ministry are aware of their existence, I cannot say. All I know is that it does not seem correct to be running such a joint in such a location," she said.

Meanwhile, an architect from the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing, and Urban Development, Mabushi, Abuja, who is familiar with the operations of the gardens, told Daily Independent that the joints are not being used for the purpose they were originally created to serve.

According to him, "both of them were supposed to be just gardens that offer horticulture services. They are supposed to be places where people could actually go and buy the kinds of flowers they want to plant in their private gardens or what they need for landscaping their property. At which point they became alcohol and pepper soup selling joints, one can not exactly say."

Whatever would have gone wrong, the residents of the serene area of Maitama want quick action on the definition of the status of the gardens. For them, it would have been a fine picture if they just had their 'Step Down' and 'After Five' Gardens selling flowers and other plants to them instead of alcohol, pepper soupand cigarettes; especially now that Aliyu Modibo, FCT Minister, is making pronouncement on banning smoking in public areas.