Dealing with Abuja congestion

As town planners converge on Abuja this week, the crises that characterize the fastest growing capital city come to the fore once more. It is expected that at the end, the Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Federal Capital Territory (FCT)’s Town Planners Day 2013 will provide solutions.Due to inadequate funds and probably because of […]

As town planners converge on Abuja this week, the crises that characterize the fastest growing capital city come to the fore once more. It is expected that at the end, the Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Federal Capital Territory (FCT)’s Town Planners Day 2013 will provide solutions.
Due to inadequate funds and probably because of not so good planning or failure to implement masterplan, government cannot match the rate of population growth with Abuja’s needed infrastructure. Abuja is a city of many challenges. Chief among them is the sprouting up of sprawling slums. Apart from being over crowded, these slums lack necessities of modern settlements making them unfit for human habitation.
Commonly called satellite towns, these settlements which accommodate huge population surround the main city. Both from within FCT and the neighbouring states like Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, Kaduna, these settlements are growing. From the northern flank, we have Suleja, Tafa, Sabon Wuse and the rest of them. In Nasarawa, there is hardly a demarcation as contiguous towns like Maraba, Kabeyi have stretched out and merged with those in FCT.
With the take off of Abuja as administrative city of Nigeria, the contiguous towns grew fast in size resulting in serious chaos not only in themselves but spill into the federal capital city. Because Abuja was founded on law and development is regimented, many have difficulty coping with the demands of the law. The satellite towns become easy place to resort to due to their near absence of regulation. They have grown huge in human number and in buildings most of which are unplanned.
But most of the people who seek abode in the satellite towns earn their income in Abuja so they daily commute to the main city to work.

The result is terrible congestion on the roads. Though government has tackled the trouble on the Abuja-Kubwa and the Abuja-Airport roads with their expansion, it is not same for the Abuja-Keffi way. The road has become famous for its chaotic traffic situation. Motorists on this road daily lament but with little or no serious response from the FCT administration.
    
A city without known population
Indeed, the situation is so bad that economists and demographers find it difficult to say what the population of Abuja is. In the day, the satellite towns dwellers throng the Abuja city making it swell with human heads. But once it is close of work the same population drains out into the satellite towns. Even those who appear to be real main city dwellers hardly stay. Politicians for instance, who come from diverse constituencies across Nigeria often leave Abuja with their aides in tow. Many civil servants also do move especially at weekends and during festivities. Similarly, business people who have engagements in big cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu etc always leave Abuja. Abuja population is put at 5 million. But many say this is only for official and planning purposes.
 
How the problem was compounded
Offices were initially sited in a satellite town called Gwagwalada but were later inadvertently moved to the city centre when General Ibrahim Babangida officially opened the new capital. Even the original plan for Gwagwalada was jettisoned. From the beginning, it was planned that Gwagwalada would get 20 percent of Abuja’s development funds. Kuje was also in the original master plan but no one can say what has become of it.
Over the years, different governments have adopted diverse ways of dealing with the chaos. New policies have been promulgated and projects initiated as way out. For instance, government created satellite towns development agency to hasten development of the satellite towns. New districts have been opened but mostly without requisite infrastructure. Now, a railway is under construction for mass transit.  Highways have been expanded to accommodate more motorists. Yet, this has not proved that much has happened.
Indeed, for a city of this kind, town planners have a huge task on their hands. It is particularly troubling in situation where resources are scarce. Town planners must evolve creative ways of dealing with the imbalances now. This is time for them to assert their relevance. For this reason, Town Planners Day 2013 must not end like the previous editions which were held but without much influence.
Senior government officials are invited. The Special Guest of Honour is FCT Minister of State, Olajumoke Akinjide. Senator Atai Aidoko Ali is Guest of Honour while Minister of State for Niger Delta, Darius Ishyaku is chairman. It is hoped that they will take the positions espoused seriously and push for their implementation fast.
The theme of the meeting, De-Leveraging Urban Bias and Imbalances in Cities is apt. Speakers are renowned persons for town planning savvy. Guest lecturer Dr K. Dukiya who is Head, Department of Transport Management Technology, the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna will speak on The Role of Bus Rapid Transit Infrastructure in Sustainable Regional Development; Dr Adamu Ahmed of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria will speak on the Role of Affordable Housing in Sustainable Housing Delivery; and the Acting Director of Urban and Regional Planning, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Abuja, Mr Shola Salami will deliver a talk on Resettlement for Sustainable Regional Development. Over 250 participants are being expected.
The problems are known. What are lacking are the ways of tackling the malaise. A town planner who looks positively to the coming conference advised, “Government must look in the direction of developing the area councils and the satellite towns in particular. If the area councils have necessary infrastructure, many will not see the need to trouble themselves coming to live in the city. This will reduce congestion.”
Indeed, in Abuja, housing shortage and bad transport system are twin problems government must give attention to urgently. Town planners must bring forward less expensive, easy and practical ways of tackling these challenges now.