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Abuja’s growth troubles FCT Minister

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It’s rated 8th Most Overcrowded City in the world

By Ben Atonko

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Muhammad Musa Bello has described the growth of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja as phenomenal.

The minister made this statement on Wednesday in a meeting with senior management staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on his resumption of office.

Viewpoint Housing News reports that Abuja, though intended to be a place of administration is rated the Eighth Most Overcrowded City in the world (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=nmFND-ROiDk).

Bello had been sworn-in and designated FCT Minister few hours earlier in a ceremony in the Federal Executive Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Bello appealed, “Everybody has to work for the FCT of our dream. It is our FCT and it is growing at a rate which is far from normal.

“So everybody has to work extra hard to make the FCT work and I assure you of my maximum cooperation too.”

He assured the staff of his commitment and cooperation to take the FCT to the desired level.

The minister was received by the Minister of State FCT, Ramatu Aliyu and the Permanent Secretary, Chinyeaka Ohaa.

This is Bello’s second term as FCT Minister.

Abuja is constricted by the contiguous towns of Mpape, Nyanya, Orozo, Kubwa, Dei-Dei, Lugbe and many other unplanned settlements on the corridors of Airport, Keffi and Kubwa Highways.

Every morning, residents swarm onto downtown from these towns causing grueling gridlocks along the major highways.

FCT Map

The satellite towns which are mostly haphazard are also rife with criminality, even as bandits constantly lurk in the capital city’s ways and corners.

There are also, in the heart of the city, quite unsightly slums like Garki, Utako, Kpana, Gishiri, Kpaduma, Dutse, etc.

Though these settlements were to be cleared before the start of work on the city, government’s lacklustre performance and procrastination resulted in the continuous existence of the slums.

Now, authorities say it costs a whooping N500 billion to uproot them.

Abuja said to have a population density of 10,500 per square kilometre was planned and its development started only in 1976.

Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria, with 13,300 population per square kilometre is the Sixth Most Overcrowded City in the world.

It is described as “Insane metropolis, nightmare city on steroids, city of blackouts where average 50 people share a toilet and wash hand basin.”

Abuja was conceived following the chaos that characterises Lagos.

It is therefore, left to be seen if authorities will “work hard” to stop the capital of a country with huge landmass from progressing further on the infamous journey of the most overcrowded cities in the world.

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