The many struggles of a Master Plan (I)

Most of those who travel to other world cities – a typical example is London – always use the metro as a means of connecting from one destination of the city to the other. Abuja prides as a modern city, yet these types of facilities are still not in place. The importance of the railway […]

Most of those who travel to other world cities – a typical example is London – always use the metro as a means of connecting from one destination of the city to the other.

Abuja prides as a modern city, yet these types of facilities are still not in place. The importance of the railway as an efficient medium of transportation in the city can never be overemphasised. It is not because they were not thought of and provided in the Abuja City plan.

At the beginning, it was the excuse of paucity of funds that prevented the commencement of the city railway project. But as many developments and many expensive projects began sprouting, those earlier excuses became untenable, replaced by misplacement of priorities.

Subsequent incidences showed that clandestine interest of the various FCT administrations on those lands reserved for the implementation of the transportation facilities contributed to the neglect of this very vital proposal.

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Over the years, we can categorically state that the commitment to the defence or protection of the Abuja Master plan depends on the disposition of the reigning FCT minister. We should not expect persons with propensity for wanton material acquisition to be honest in holding trust on the very expensive lands in prime locations in a city like Abuja, without misappropriation for further wealth amassment. What is witnessed in respect of the FCT lands in the hands of Nyesom Wike is the most destructive of all the previous administrations.

Tpl. Jimoh Aare was my very respectable senior, prior to my forced retirement along with more than 100 others in the service of the FCDA in 2004. He was among those that were lucky to escape that injustice. While he was in the Transport Secretariat in 2008, I think an Assistant Director at that time, we met at the Development Control in one of my occasional visits as a private consultant. He told me that though outside, I was giving assignment to those of them left in the service. He showed me from his folder a copy of my ‘Eye on Abuja’ article of May 28, 2008, titled ‘Salvation of Our Transportation Facilities’. The then minister, Aliyu Modibbo, highlighted a portion and directed the transportation secretary to treat.

The highlights were three of the mega plots sized 1.6Ha each earmarked in the Master Plan for transportation terminal, along the N1 Arterial Road, and between Arterial B-6 and B-12 in the Central Area District. Contrary to the Plan, these plots were already fenced, suggesting that they were already allocated by the previous FCT Administration before 2008, for private use.

Truly, the master plan is a product of human intelligence, not divine, as such it won’t be infallible. However, spurious excuses must not be used as a cover, or manipulation for satisfaction of selfish aggrandizement. Policies, departments and agencies were established in order to guide the implementation of the Master plan to ensure the building of a city we all desire.

If we violate the extant laws, policies, rules and regulations guiding the city development, we would not make any achievement, rather we would end up with an urban jungle as the capital of our great nation. Instead of earning respect and commendation from our international visitors in many of the other areas, we would end up a laughing stock. Let us not forget that some of our sister African countries are using our success as a model and are still making attempts to emulate our achievements in this venture but are still lagging behind.

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) under the FCDA started as the Land Planning and Survey Department. All the departments in the FCT Administration that deal with land and land-related matters sprouted from the URP. All lands in the FCT and in particular the Federal Capital City are appropriated and allocated according to the rule guiding their required sizes and have specific activities assigned for their uses.

Thus, land uses and their sizes are very critical attributes to land management. Also, cities are developed for the benefits of people as such targeted populations and their facilities requirements for their wellbeing are specified by master plans.

The violation of sizes or land uses would spell doom to any city. Being the federal capital, it explained the special importance attached to the defence of the Abuja Master Plan as always declared by any FCT administration as it comes on board.

In order to ensure the management of available land, it must be allocated to the deserving persons or organisations, relative to the needs, in compliance with the land uses and building development guidelines and regulations. With respect to the various residential densities, wherever a high rise is required to accommodate 6-8 families as in high density development, it must be complied with. Otherwise the targeted population would not be achieved for the neighbourhood, the district and ultimately the city. The level of compliance with the guidelines for the city development determines the extent of meeting up with the projected population in accordance with the Abuja master plan.

 

To be continued.