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Town planning experts have again raised concerns over the future of Abuja’s urban landscape, calling for strict adherence to the Abuja Master Plan at a time when Nigeria’s capital is expanding at unprecedented speed.
The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), after a leadership engagement with newly appointed directors of key Federal Capital Territory (FCT) planning agencies, says the moment is critical for restoring discipline to the city’s growth trajectory.
In a statement released by the National Public Relations Secretary, Dr. C. J. Nor, the NITP said the session was aimed at strengthening both administrative and technical processes involved in implementing the Abuja Master Plan—an urban blueprint considered central to the orderly development of the capital and its surrounding regions.
Planners argue that Abuja’s rapid transformation demands closer alignment with the city’s original vision, rather than the ad-hoc developments that increasingly threaten its structure.
NITP national president, Dr. Chime Ogbonna, underscored this concern with an unequivocal reminder of the plan’s importance.
“You must uphold the sanctity of the Abuja Master Plan at all times,” he told the directors.
“Without it, the city risks chaos and disharmony. The Master Plan is the roadmap for Abuja’s comprehensive development, and its implementation procedures must be strictly followed if the capital is to remain a global model.”
His message reflects a long-standing challenge in urban governance: cities often invest in ambitious plans but falter in execution.
Ogbonna stressed that proper planning is only the first step; it is implementation that determines whether a city evolves coherently or descends into disordered growth.
He noted that the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992 should be domesticated nationwide—including in the FCT—to give stronger legal backing to planning practice.
A key point raised by the NITP leadership is the need to update Abuja’s master plan, which was designed in 1979. With new land-use pressures, rapid population growth and global shifts in urban design, they argue the plan must be reviewed to integrate modern concepts such as 15-minute cities, compact development, green-city principles and smart-city technologies. Ogbonna appealed to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to make the review a top priority, saying Abuja must adapt its blueprint to today’s realities without losing its foundational order.
At the engagement, newly appointed directors echoed the commitment to disciplined planning.
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