The challenges of protecting Abuja Plan
As site officers in charge of districts in the Development Control Department in the late nineties and the onset of the century, we went through lots of tribulations. Some of us survived the system, while others lost their jobs for being good. That was close to 30 years ago. We encountered many challenges while carrying […]
As site officers in charge of districts in the Development Control Department in the late nineties and the onset of the century, we went through lots of tribulations. Some of us survived the system, while others lost their jobs for being good. That was close to 30 years ago. We encountered many challenges while carrying out our duties specifically as it involved the protection of the Master Plan.
Our instruments of operation were, the Development Control guidelines and Regulations manual, the Abuja Phase I and II Land Use Plans, and the Central Area District Phase I and II Urban Designs, or Green Books as were otherwise known.
We must ensure that all submissions made for request for building plans approval comply with the specifications by these documents, otherwise they are rejected with an order to the developer to make corrections and resubmit. In some instances a memo to the higher authority for outright revocation and reallocation to the developer in another area suitable for his proposal.
Examples of plots whose allocations cannot be remedied include those that are allocated on lands that are meant for utilities and those that were wrongly allocated on road corridors or underground service lines, like sewers, storm drainages, water mains and others. There were instances that remain indelibly in my memory. One of them involved the changing of the land use of a plot earmarked for utility adjoining the National Hospital.
One afternoon my Director called me to his office. When I entered, I saw him with a guest, whom I immediately recognised as a serving state governor of those days. The Director introduced him to me as his friend and instructed me to ensure that we grant him approval for his building plans.
As soon as I saw the architectural design with the plot number in Central Area, I quickly recognised it as one of the plots with notorious allocations. I requested the Director to allow me to bring the Central Area Green book which shall guide our decision in satisfying the governor’s need or not. Unlike the other districts that have combined requirements according to the zones and densities, in the Central Area District, each plot has its own requirement.
I was very much aware that the land is listed as utility, which was contrary to the commercial purpose which the allocation was made. Also, that was the third time submission for approval was made in respect of that particular plot. Each time a request got rejected the owner would sell the plot to another innocent new interest. The governor was then the latest victim.
Meanwhile, the Engineering Department had already alerted our Department on the plots earmarked for utilities, specifically in the Central Area District, and requested us to ensure that they are not used for other purposes, otherwise it will disrupt its plan for implementation of the facilities. This particular plot was involved.
When the Director saw the actual purpose which was not commercial according to the submission, he outrightly told his guest that it won’t be possible for us to grant his request, because the land is meant for utility service. That was how it remained till date. Our guest took the matter to the higher level, but it was ruled in our favour. To be fair to him, he never made any further complain.
Unfortunately, two months after, the Director and all of us, the management staff of the Department were fired on the pretext of removing the bad eggs in the system. But, on the contrary, the letter conveying the retirements was not derogatory, rather, it thanked us for our service.
We are now in an era of land allocations clearly and unambiguously located with sewer and water lines, storm drainages, flood plains and transportation corridors. Yet building plans approvals were granted. Other land allocations are now as big as hundreds of hectares, which are the size of whole district.
The study of natural radio activity makes it possible for astrophysics to place the earth and the time the sun was formed at 4.5 billion years ago. This is scientific not spiritual. Against such astrological periods, it is actually very foolish for people to think that they have any ample period to enjoy the accumulated wealth from misappropriation of public properties.
One of our prominent directors also suffered similar fate before us. He refused to process a file which his minister sent for plot allocation on the Maitama Hill, due to its nonconformity with the provision of the land use plan. Rather, he advised the minister to write and obtain the approval of the Supreme Military Council before his order could be officially implemented. The reward earned by the director from the minister, for his strict adherence to respecting the Abuja Master Plan, was the loss of his job. The subsequent commencement of the physical development on the Hill, which is a product of impunity, made the area to acquire the name it is now popularly known, as the ‘Minister’s Hill’.
He prefers to be fired, rather than compromise his integrity, professionalism and the standard of Abuja development requirements. Both the director and the minister are now late. Where ever they may be today, it is not ours to determine what is valuable to them there, between the misappropriated land and the integrity?