Mr Cosmas Uzodinma, the Chief Press Secretary in the Office of the Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is a Public Relations Consultant. He has spent greater part of his working time promoting Abuja, the only planned city in Nigeria. As he is about to leave the public service, Viewpoint Housing News tracked him for a press interview. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka alumnus who witnessed the building of Abuja from the cradle explains why the city’s pioneer construction company, Strabag of Austria left Nigeria, creating vacuum for the now highly rated Julius Berger to fill. Contrary to the generally held opinion, Abuja’s initial development is no work of Julius Berger, he maintains. Uzodinma says Abuja has exploded like a dynamite into a magnificent city because it got the energy of the military in ground-breaking. But the journey had been rough as the city suffered abuses in the hands of residents who constructed illegal structures with reckless abandon. The concept of satellite town has not been properly implemented as they have been reduced to dormitory where people only sleep and daily commute to the city centre to work, exposing them to excruciating traffic chaos, he lamented. Of all the ministers of FCT, he says two will be remembered for their extraordinary work.
Viewpoint: You have put in so many years working for the capital city. When did the journey start?
Uzodinma: Well, the journey started in 1988 when I came into Abuja as a fresh graduate and I was coming into Abuja from Keffi where I lived. I did this often because I was looking for job and the road network from Nyanya to the city was still under construction.
The Area1 Secretariat was the main functional secretariat then and FCDA [Federal Capital Development Authority] had moved from Field Base to Suleja. Then they were three poles of development; they had built secretariat in Gwagwalada and Bwari — the present JAMB [Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board] office which was really an FCT secretariat before they moved into the city. In the city, they came to Area 1, where you see the present Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Orientation Agency and other buildings. They were really the core of the secretariat.
That was their landing place before they started building the present Federal Secretariat called Bullet House where you have the secretariat holding the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
We can say that the Three-Arms Zone is now fully developed. Until the construction of the Eagle Square, the stadium in Area 10, the sport centre was the main festival ground. That’s why the road to Agura Hotel is called Festival Road. That is how Abuja started to develop from 1988 when I came into Abuja with some companies working.
Viewpoint: Some people say Abuja was developed by Julius Berger.
Uzodinma: No! Abuja was not developed by Julius Berger alone. There were other companies like Strabag, G-Cappa, NCC, Dumez and more. The Suleja area where you now have Zuba was Dumez and it was a major junction. Dumez made substantial contribution to the development of Abuja but the one that was head of shoulders amongst others was Strabag.
Strabag was involved in the building of the airport road. It was like the high tech construction company then and it had its tentacles. It was more international than Julius Berger. Julius Berger was popular in FCT. But I think because of the numerous jobs Strabag had in other countries, they folded their bulldozers and left.
The real cradle of FCT is Life Camp. It is called Life Camp because that was the location given to all these companies to build their resident camps. Life Camp was the landing place for all the companies especially their senior staff on arrival.
The greater part of Abuja was a virgin forest, not a no man’s land, but fundamentally virgin as at the time. I remember some people were given land in Area 1 and they were excited about it but those that got theirs in Maitama were not delighted about it because nobody knew what was involved in the capital development.
Suddenly, people woke up to find out that their landed property was adjacent to Hilton Hotel [now Transcorp Hilton]. I remember somebody that his land was taken by a construction company for 15 years in agreement to be developed and returned after 15 years with the sum of N10miilion as compensation. After the 15 years, the company evacuated the property and the rightful owner took over and developed a skyscraper in Maitama.
On your way to Hilton, look under the bridge, there is a road there, which was the original road that lead to Suleja and Maitama village, which was behind Hilton. Through the place, we have the present day Juvenic [popular eatery] and the Catholic Social Centre. There was a village there before they were resettled at Kubwa and other areas. Abuja’s initial development is no work of Julius Berger as people think.
Viewpoint: You have seen a number of administrations – from military to civilian. What is your assessment?
Uzodinma: We needed the energy of the military to have broken the ground of Abuja. It is very interesting that after that, the political side, the benevolent…It is very important because…if you watch the history of the world…The Rome we see today, there were the Caesars who did what was necessary.
The British Empire we see today, there were the Oliver Cromwell who did what they did without looking to parliament that broke the grounds. That was what happened in Abuja too.
Starting from Mobolaji Adeogun who was the first Federal Commissioner in charge of the initial development of FCT to John Kadiya who came in and created what was called Development Areas and then later the four Local Government Areas known as Area Councils in the early 90’s and increased to six.
Every administration came with its own unique style — from Adeogu to John Kadia to Maman Shata to Hamza Addullahi. From Hamaz Abdullahi to Gado Nasko to Mamman Kontagora to the present minister of the Federal Capital Territory. I think the two that stand out are Arc Ibrahim Bunu and Nasir El-Rufai. Bunu did well but he seemed not to have much of the political will like El-Rufai who sat down and said, “Let’s deal with the Federal Capital Territory otherwise it will become a rat race.” Until El-Rufai came, many were constructing illegal structures. People were been allocated land without proper papers. People would see space and build houses.
The highest thing officials could do was to go and mark the illegal houses with X and no enforcement actions would be carried out. But El-Rufia came and restored the master plan.
Then Bala Muhammed did his best but I would like to say that the present minister came in knowing that the city needs: 1) Infrastructure; 2) Services; 3) Law and Order; 4) officials must work hand in hand with laws and regulations.
Those were the four things the present minister brought. And that is why he has that landmark achievement. He pulled the railway to completion and many infrastructure today are completed. Many roads are completed and the pedestrian bridges are also built. Some roads that need proper lighting are now done.
Viewpoint: You are leaving the administration and having put in huge service to make it what it should be. How do you feel?
Uzodinma: I am happy because when you work, you want to move on to other things. When you feel you have done the best, the next thing you need to do is rest but thank God, I am not going to rest.
I am going to, maybe the private sector to also make my contribution to the development of the city in my private capacity in whatever sector I find myself. When I look at the city, I am excited. I know how a city can be built. There is a saying that “A stone a day, we can build a tower” so I see Abuja built by a stone a day.
All that is important is that everybody is doing his little bit covering his own gap and before you know it, the city has exploded like a dynamite because you are getting the right things in the right place.
Just like human beings, cities have systems. Everybody brings his own component part into the city building process. Engineers bring their own, administrators bring their own, journalists bring their own, economists bring their own etc. What now comes out is something greater than the component parts we all brought.
I saw this happen in Abuja and when I drive around this city from when it was a forest to now that it’s a mega city — I see how a mystery is unravelled. And to me, I can build any city because I know what to do.
Viewpoint: Is there anything strong on your mind for Abuja, which you want maybe the present management to hold onto?
Uzodinma: Yes! What is on my mind for Abuja is that there should be effective service delivery and tourism. One, Abuja should be properly marketed. Many people of the world do not know Abuja.
I recommend that the present administration should invest in marketing and creating awareness of Abuja city. We shouldn’t wait for the Federal Government to do it for us. All over the world, it is cities that market themselves.
If you go to New York, Washington DC, it is the city mayors that go out and come back with investments. I think FCT should not always wait to fly on the wings of the Export Promotion Council. It should have its own programmes. It should have a team of marketers or consultants.
Viewpoint: Are you troubled by the massive influx of people into the city?
Uzodinma: I’m not troubled with the massive influx of people in the city because the planning of Abuja is excellent. There is a principle people don’t know is embedded in the plan of Abuja — the principle of scalability. That means easy expansibility. Look at New York and New Jersey, one can hardly tell the difference between them.
Abuja city has been planned in a way that the railway has been linked to Gudi; you know where Gudi is? Before Akwanga. There is space. If you go through Dobi to Niger, there is space. The concept of the satellite town has being misunderstood.
I remember Prof Abumere, a geographer from the University of Ibadan in a conference told the people that this city, the way it was done, the satellite towns have been converted to a dormitory where people sleep and come into the city. Satellite towns are like, they take off pressure from the city.
For instance, if the War College [Defence College in Central Area] is in a satellite town, those working in War College will be going the opposite direction during rush hours.
The concept of the satellite town is in such a way that if 50 percent of the traffic is to the city centre, you should have 25 percent the other way. That is what the present minister is working out.
He is putting infrastructure in Karu and Gwagwalada so that people can set up in those places. What remains now is for government go to those places and see set up more infrastructure.
