By TPL Umar Shuaibu
Deriving its power from the FCT Act, the Abuja Master plan and all its support documents, like the City land use plan, Development Control Guidelines and Regulations, Central Area Urban Design and Development Guidelines 1981 and 1998, The FCT Park Regulation 2005, The Park Policy 2019 and General Guidelines for Design Development of Park, Green Area, Open Spaces, the Abuja Environmental Protection Act of 1997 and others, were all official Gazettes and legal documents.
Any attempt to change or review any aspect of their provisions must undergo painstaking procedures akin to the process that produce them. Public hearing inclusive. Anyone appointed as FCT Minister by the President, has the responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of the City and its citizens. Also, he is to hold the Abuja Lands in trust and to ensure that all these legal provisions are not violated throughout his tenure.
Truly, they are manmade documents and subject to fallibility. However, meticulous procedures were undertaken by the founding fathers, in collaboration with the necessary stakeholders and intellectuals to ensure that they are very close to perfection as possible, according to the human intellect. Changing these plans and provisions by any surreptitious order, just to satisfy the whims and caprices of any government functionary, or any selfish aggrandizement most never be condoned.
We are all in support and have been advocating for the review of the Abuja Master plan due to the changing times and standard. We must understand that the call is for a review not violation of the plan. Persons with ulterior motive should not capitalize on the call for review to wildly engage in very dangerous violations.
Park licenses are prerequisite for approval for Park developments according to the Park Development Guidelines. But, last month a statement was made from the FCT Administration that all park licenses in Abuja were revoked. In essence, all Parks operations were stopped. The reason advanced was to restore order and adherence to the existing policy governing park operations.
It further stated that “the Minister is at liberty to do whatever he wants to do with land in the FCT, parks inclusive”. It was more unfortunate that the statement was made by a seasoned professional in the system who should rightly guide the Minister against violations of the plans, and the regulations guiding land developments in the City. Specifically as it concerns the protection of the City parks?
It is not also true, that the Minister has exclusive right to do whatever he wants with the Abuja land. This is one of the most bizarre statement we have ever heard from an institution that is entrusted and charged with the protection and control of Abuja land against abuse. Yes, the Minister can allocate Abuja lands, but in line with laid down regulations, specifically that of land use, in order to ensure compliance and also ensure justice to all citizens. If not why should aggrieved parties sue the Authority and the Minister and always succeed in getting justice?
The pretext was that there were series of violations, but it is now very clear that it was a deception. Because, many parks in the City are now allocated for contrary uses directly by the administration that was crying foul and shedding crocodile tears that operators were violating the Abuja Master plan.
Truly, no matter how vigilant a government can check abuse there are recalcitrant elements that would try to violate regulations. But for the Government of the day to be seen orchestrating the abuse directly, after using its instrument to drive the park operators, is unprecedented. If the previous administrations were not up and doing on the prevention of these type of abuses, the Wike administration would not have met any park standing in the City today.
Areas earmarked for greening were used for laying underground services, because no developments are allowed on parks. As cried by the Zone 6 residents, due to the violations “There is hardly any street that is not having sewer line bleeding onto the streets, making them very smelly and unsightly. The outbreak of gastrointestinal and other waterborne diseases of huge proportions is a disaster waiting to happen in the neighbourhood”.
Now that almost all the surrounding area were buildup, where would the underground infrastructure be rerouted through, and why should the FCTA spend huge public fund in a venture that involve the violation of statutory rules and regulations?
We are now faced with a situation, which instead of recovering lands meant for Parks and Recreations that were violated for other uses as provided in the Park Policy, the FCT Administration is the one making the violations by allocating the green areas for other uses. Specifically, as it concern Zone 6 Neghbouhood Park in the Wuse District, just a stone throw from the Development Control Department that should never allow the violation. Yet the development was allowed to continue none stopped. Truly, many FCT Ministers have come and gone, but, the FCT never had it this rough.
Concluded.
