INTERVIEW: How Abuja, a virgin land, became Nigeria's best planned city

Abuja was pronounced the new federal capital of Nigeria through a nationwide broadcast by the then Head of State, Murtala Muhammed, on February 3, 1976, while legal backing was given to the declaration on February 5, 1976, through Decree No 6 (now an Act) which created the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the new federal capital turned 46, albeit without fanfare, PREMIUM TIMES’ Nosike Ogbuenyi and Abdulkareem Mojeed sought out the 12th Minister of FCT, Aliyu Modibbo, an ex-university don, for his reflections about the nation’s capital.
Here are excerpts from the encounter which took place at his Abuja residence.
PT: Can you reflect on Abuja, 46 years after creation in February 1976?
Modibbo: It is indeed a great pleasure to talk to you about something that I’m very passionate about, which is the city of Abuja. I have been associated with Abuja since 1982 when I came back from the United States, and at the prompting of one of my mentors. He told me that since you have a PhD and you are young, go and start your career in Abuja. You know, before then Abuja was not that appealing but I had been coming to Abuja.
Since 1984-1985, I recall, when I passed by the present location of (Transcorp) Hilton, it was a Fulani Ruga that was there. And they were all constructing that Shehu Shagari area. Incidentally, one of the officials at the Federal Capital Development Authority that was there at that time is the husband of a former colleague of mine, when I was working with NTA (Nigerian Television Authority).
So when I came here, he brought two (plot of land) applications and gave me – one for residential, one for a company, in 1985. Then I said no, but I took it anyway. I said who was going to come and live in this bush, you know, but this bush became a very important city, because of the hard work of some of our predecessors; both the founding fathers, the Heads of State, down to the ministers, down to the technical people, including even the private sector, contractors and things like that.
PT: How would you rate Abuja so far vis-à-vis its foundational dreams and objectives?
Modibbo: Abuja, I keep telling people, no matter how hard you are going to be on Nigeria, how critical you are about our system here; how even when you extend it to Africa, but particularly Nigeria, that it is this and that; but the single miracle that the Nigerian country or the Nigerian project has wrought is Abuja. I challenge our readers, when they read this interview, to check with Google or go to YouTube, and ask for five best African cities. They will see that Abuja will be there, compared with cities that are over 200 or 100 years old.
So, to build a city from scratch to this level in 46 years, that is really to be reckoned with at the world stage, is really, really a great achievement. If you recall, when this territory was picked by the (Akinola) Aguda panel, it was nothing to reckon with, even though some people now, because of political reasons, are rising up as indigenes or this and that. But the whole idea why the FCT territory was picked is because there were very few people and little hamlets. You know, so nobody can claim it and say it belongs to this or this ethnic group, like Lagos or Kaduna or somewhere. Abuja was really a virgin territory, and then our people applied themselves and built the city.

PT: As a former FCT Minister, can you reflect on some high points in Abuja’s journey from dream to reality?

Modibbo: We started sort of in a rickety way, but you know, former President Shehu Shagari of blessed memory was very enthusiastic about Abuja and he also put in equally good people. But at that time, the technology and the vision or the exposure was not there. That is why when you go to the neighbourhoods that President Shagari built such as the ministerial quarters in Wuse, near Wuse market or some of the roads in Garki district you’ll see them and just keep wondering who built these roads; but they were among the best then. Shagari even celebrated the October 1 event in Abuja in 1981. He built the Aguda House and stayed there as the presidential building then. That is where the SGF office is now. Sometimes, they even held their cabinet meetings there.
I recall when our current president became Head of State in 1983, he jettisoned Abuja completely for about two years that he was there. He stopped construction, you know, and thought that some property needed to be introduced, you know. He questioned a lot of the expenditures. So, a lot of things did not happen within those two years and that was when Major-General Mamman Vatsa was in charge as the FCT Minister.
But the real work, the miracle of Abuja started with President Ibrahim Babangida, and through his (FCT) Minister, (Major-General) Hamza Abdullahi. For those of us that held that ministerial office, without a doubt, all of us really believe that the real golden era, the golden minister of Abuja, that had a fantastic vision and brought very good contractors was Hamza Abdullahi of blessed memory. All of us, including myself and El-Rufai, will tell you that the person who laid a solid foundation for Abuja was Hamza Abdullahi.
And from then on, every minister just had to follow up because as you already know, Abuja is guided by the Master Plan. So, no matter how a minister is, either way you may gauge him or size him to be fantastic, not fantastic, good or bad or ugly or whatever. Every project is already there in the Master Plan. Particularly, the major ones, if it is the roads, you know, the cycle roads or the airport road or these, it is just a matter of by the time you have money, you know, then you embark upon it.
For instance, the way the airport road is constructed is just the way it is envisioned in the Master Plan. It is nobody’s idea; it is those people that designed the city that put it so. If it is not done, it is because money is not there. That is why Abuja is so unique. And for some of us that had the privilege to run it as administrators, we laugh sometimes when we see states, celebrating the building of a flyover. The whole state is so excited. So when El-rufai also took that miracle to Kaduna, that’s what they are celebrating but he’s already used to it when he was in the FCT. There are flyovers all over the place.

And thank God because it is a virgin territory, we could plan it better than Lagos. You know, because Lagos already was traditional, and so there is no way if you want to construct flyovers or underpass you have to pay the whole budget of Nigeria for it because the compensation alone will consume the money. But here, Abuja is a clean canvas. That is what an artist would say, you know, it was blank, a tabula rasa, so to speak. So you just come to implement the plan there. The only difference some of us bring is the innovations, personal things that you bring yourself as an administrator.
Everyone of us had his own baby. When I came, my initial emphasis was on security. I wanted the territory to be secure for its residents. And I did my best within the time I was there, and I can beat my chest that we cut down crime in the territory to the barest minimum at that time. Then I embarked on some social issues, free antenatal and postnatal; then my innovations such as the Abuja Boulevard. Even the Abuja Boulevard was there already in the Master Plan. It is just that up till now they are not built but I thought I was going to break the jinx and do them; the same thing with other ministers. They bring their own visions and say that during my tenure I will do this and I will do that in addition to what is already in the Master Plan.

PT: And what is the fundamental challenge?
Modibbo: Thank God we have reached 46 years of existence, but then, all these successes are coming with challenges. It is coming with great challenge and if care is not taken, it will become so difficult to manage. And we are hoping people that are currently at the helm of affairs and the ones that will come in the future will address the challenges squarely a help us to enjoy this city. And what is that greatest challenge – It is population increase or explosion. Because the whole Abuja Master Plan envisages that by the time the whole districts are fully built; and what I’m saying is from Phase One – Wuse 1, Wuse 2, Garki, Maitama, Asokoro, Central Business District, the Phase Two – Jabi, Utako, Guzape, Wuse, Jahi; Phase Three are what Nasir started, what do you call it, all these satellite towns – Karmo, Jikwoyi, Nyanya axis and beyond. Even our border zones with Nasarawa State like Mararaba, Masaka are under the pressure of population because of Abuja because immediately you cross Nyanya, you are already in Nasarawa. It is the population pressure on Abuja that pushes people to go and live in those areas all the way up to Keffi even though they work or do business in the FCT on daily basis.
But the real chunk of land in the FCT is on the flank going towards River Niger, Kogi from Gwagwalada, Abaji that is big portion of land. Even from here, our border is in Madalla or Zuba, we don’t have enough land on that axis. But that area, I think is the last phase.

ALSO READ: Abuja at 46: The Dreams, Strides, Challenges

But all these other areas that you see like Lokogoma and so on are all Phase four. So, by the time the whole of those territories up to Abaji and beyond are developed, we are not supposed to be about three million people. And if I remember correctly, Phase One made up of Wuse, Garki, Maitama, Asokoro, we are not supposed to have more than 500,000 people there.
But right now, I’m telling you, whoever comes to Abuja does not want to leave. When I was minister, I did a small experiment. And we are talking about 14 years ago, that was 2007. When I did it, I wanted to know really how many people come in and go out. And so the engineering department said, there is a way you can measure it, at least vehicular movements not the occupants, but we assume that each car or vehicle that came into Abuja would carry not less than three people or two people. So we placed that little thing that you put on the road and when you drive you hear pim ! pim !! pim !!! you know, that robot was a counter, a kind of recorder.
And so at that time, we found out that about 100,000 vehicles were coming into the FCC Abuja, that is the Federal Capital City in a week and only about half of them left because we did both in and out. We placed the marker along the Kubwa axis going to Zuba, we placed one around the Nyanya axis and we placed another one around the Utako area, the three exits and entrances of Abuja city. Right now, as I’m talking to you, I’m pretty sure the figure will be triple or quadruple of that. The reason, according to my understanding, is that fortunately or unfortunately, Abuja is the only city in Nigeria with the semblance of good infrastructure.Advertisements
PT: Why do many people visit or come to Abuja and decide to stay back instead of returning to where they came from?
Modibbo: The reason is simple – better infrastructure. Abuja is the only city in the country with a Master Plan to regulate its development in an organized pattern. That is a major reason why many Nigerians and even non-Nigerians find the city more attractive to live in.
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