Abuja: 80% of residents lives outside the capital

Former acting Coordinator, FCT Satellite Town Development Department, Architect Victoria Imande has said that only  20% of the population of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) lives in the city more than 80% lived in satellites towns  due to financial constraints. Imande states this last week while speaking to the topic: “Slum upgrade for indigenous settlements,  […]

Former acting Coordinator, FCT Satellite Town Development Department, Architect Victoria Imande has said that only  20% of the population of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) lives in the city more than 80% lived in satellites towns  due to financial constraints.

Imande states this last week while speaking to the topic: “Slum upgrade for indigenous settlements,  Appraisal of Resettlement policies- The way forward”, in continuation of Abuja 2018 Urban Thinkers Campus an initiative of the United Nations Habitat World Urban Campaign.

She said 80% of the nation’s capital residents cannot afford millions of naira charged for accommodation in the city hence they find solaces in Peripheral Urban Areas where houses can go for One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand naira or less.

According to her,  “one liter of water in Peripheral Urban Area such as Jikoyi, Gwagwalada, Karu, Dutse Alhaji among others cost 1.25 naira official price while people living in the city center pay as low as 0.1 naira and enjoy more water than those paying higher.

“The waste generation in satellite towns are enormous and causes unpleasant environmental population because they are predominantly farmers and generate more waste and need to have drain’s in places to avoid flood and waste water components.

On what to do to upgrade the settlements, Imande said the solutions is on the integrated urban development, which is about inclusiveness, to design a city where there is economic activities, creating the right atmosphere for investors and thereby creating job for the unemployed.

She however, said FCT must provide sustainable portable water, Solid waste management, flood and waste water component, transportation and capacity building .

Meanwhile, in his presentation on the topic: “Access to an Integrated  Transportation system for all, Integrated Urban Mobility”, Engr. Christopher Chigboh, Former  Secretary, Transport Secretariat, FCTA said  if the nation’s capital must grow, transportation must be taking seriously.