Stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have asked the federal government to formulate policies that will make the nation’s capital restricted against greener pasture seekers who have become security threats.
One of the founding fathers of Abuja, Pa Olumuji Ezekiel Bamidele, who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders, said the policy would help stem insecurity that had bedeviled the nation’s capital and distorted the Abuja Master Plan.
Bamidele gave the charge when he spoke with journalists in Abuja. He said once there is an influx of people, there will be insecurity as well and if care is not taken, what happened in Lagos can repeat itself in Abuja.
The elder statesman who recently celebrated his 83rd birthday hinted that: “Abuja used to be a no-go area for some people at that time (when they newly relocated the nation’s capital to Abuja) many of our staff ran back to Lagos and a few of us who had no choice waited and things started to get better because Abuja was in the early stage but now everybody wants to be in Abuja. Abuja is now Nigeria Washington.
“The federal government should find a way to cope with the increased population because the projection for Abuja is slightly over three million then but as time goes on the population has doubled and thereby stretching the already existing infrastructural facilities. The Federal government should ensure that necessary arrangements are made to cope with the increase.
“Before I left Abuja, after my retirement, over 25yrs ago, Abuja Master Plan was being followed to the letter, however, during the tenure of the incumbent governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai as the FCT Minister, there was a distortion of the Abuja Master Plan and steps were immediately taken to restore it.
“The present FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, is also doing his best possible in restoring the distorted Abuja Master Plan and overcoming the insecurity in the nation’s capital through robust demolition of criminal hideouts security measures emplace,” he stressed.
Going down memory lane, the Octogenarian narrates how Abuja administrative structure came to being, he said: ” It is true that a panel was setup by the late Muritala Muhammed, myself, late Pa Aboyade and Chief Olu Falae were commissioned to scout for a befitting administrative structure for Abuja, we set out to London, Washington, Brazil, and other countries and we concluded that Abuja should be modeled according to the Brazilian administrative structure.
“Unfortunately, there was no official publicity concerning the journey, since there was no announcement made concerning the journey it seems rather difficult for me to say anything about it. Any information we give must be solely certified and must be defended. If I were in service and you asked me this question, I would simply say no comment.
“Although I am now independent, I must make sure that whatever I say must be defended, if we were given publicity, I would have been able to tell what transpired. I don’t think it’s proper for me to say anything about the journey.”
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