…Calls on NASS to quickly intervene to safe nation’s capital
A civil rights advocacy organisation on the aegis of ‘Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)’ has expressed serious concerns over what it described as the systematic and reckless erosion of the Abuja Masterplan by authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
HURIWA pointedly said that the FCT has in the past three years, allegedly converted designated public lands, green areas, and critical infrastructure spaces into private commercial and residential estates.
HURIWA in a statement by Emmanuel Onwubiko, national coordinator, stated unequivocally that the ongoing developments in the FCT represented a dangerous deviation from the founding principles of Abuja as a planned, environmentally balanced, and publicly accessible capital city.
It particularly noted that the increasing conversion of green areas across Abuja into built-up commercial and residential developments, accompanied by widespread tree felling activities are already producing visible environmental consequences, including rising urban heat levels, loss of ecological balance, increased flood risks, and long-term degradation of the city’s environmental sustainability.
HURIWA noted that Abuja was designed with deliberate ecological zoning, stressing that the continuous destruction of green buffers constitutes not only administrative negligence, but a direct threat to public health and environmental security.
The rights organisation said that of particular concern is the reported conversion of Plot 546, Cadastral Zone B03, Wuye District—a 3.171-hectare parcel of land originally designated in the Abuja Masterplan for a district hospital—into a private residential estate.
According to HURIWA; “The land, strategically located opposite the Wuye Ultra-Modern Market and beside a police station, has been fenced off and is currently under active construction by a private developer identified as Full Moon Estate Developers Ltd”.
HURIWA notes that the land was originally intended to serve as a critical public health infrastructure site for the rapidly growing Wuye District, which currently lacks adequate government healthcare facilities.
“The conversion of such a facility into private housing, constitutes a direct violation of the Abuja Masterplan and a denial of essential public services to residents,” HURIWA stressed.
The civil rights body also expressed concern over emerging allegations that suggested that politically exposed persons and associates of top government officials may be beneficiaries of the ongoing land reallocations within the FCT.
HURIWA explained that while these allegations remain unverified, it however, noted that public discourse has increasingly pointed to possible involvement of individuals linked to influential political officeholders, including claims involving associates of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
It emphasised that these claims, whether substantiated or not, raise serious questions of transparency, due process, and conflict of interest in land administration within the Federal Capital Territory.
The organisation condemned what it described as a troubling pattern of disregard for the Abuja Masterplan, where lands originally reserved for essential public infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and green spaces are being reassigned for private development purposes.
HURIWA further said; “Urban planning experts have consistently maintained that such conversions undermine the structural integrity of the city and compromise equitable access to public services”.
It therefore warned that the continued erosion of designated land use allocations will ultimately distort Abuja’s original design, which was intended to ensure balanced development, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion.
HURIWA also highlights the direct impact of these actions on affected communities, saying that in Wuye District, residents have expressed disappointment over the loss of a long-anticipated district hospital, which they believed was finally going to be constructed.
It said that the absence of such a facility, leaves thousands of residents without accessible public healthcare services, forcing reliance on distant or expensive private alternatives.
HURIWA argued that the development reflects a broader governance failure that prioritises private interest over public welfare.
It also said that another notable abuse is the conversions of spaces meant for sports/playgrounds for Abuja children in the different residential areas into either motor parks or beer parlours.
According to HURIWA; “Beyond immediate land use concerns, the cumulative effect of deforestation, green space conversion, and unchecked urban expansion threatens Abuja’s long-term sustainability. Cities globally are increasingly prioritising green infrastructure as a safeguard against climate change, while Abuja appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
In light of these developments, HURIWA called on the National Assembly to as a matter of national interest and concerns, intervene by halting all ongoing conversions of public lands and green areas in the FCT, launching a full parliamentary investigation into land use changes and approvals, reviewing compliance with the Abuja Masterplan and urban development regulations and summoning relevant FCTA officials to account for recent land reallocations
HURIWA also urged relevant anti-corruption agencies to commence urgent investigations into allegations of abuse of office, conflict of interest, and possible diversion of public assets for private benefit.
It insisted that any individuals found culpable should be prosecuted, and all illegally converted lands reverted to their original public purposes.
HURIWA demanded the immediate suspension of all construction activities on disputed plots, including the Wuye District hospital site, pending the outcome of investigations.
It further called for the restoration of all diverted public lands, particularly those designated for healthcare, education, and environmental preservation, stressing that the FCTA must provide sporting and playgrounds for children in the different residential areas in the city centre.
The rights group said that Abuja is at a critical crossroads, stressing that the continuous erosion of its Masterplan, if left unchecked, risks transforming Nigeria’s capital from a model planned city into a fragmented urban landscape driven by private interests rather than public good.
