THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has initiated plans to revise the Abuja Master Plan, 48 years after its establishment.
Abuja was designated as Nigeria’s new Federal Capital Territory in 1976.
This announcement was made yesterday during a meeting between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, in his office.
Ambassador Kazuyoshi led a delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to discuss the initiation of work on the upgrading of Abuja’s Integrated Urban Development Master Plan, as well as to seek the minister’s backing for key JICA projects, including its nutrition improvement program.
In his remarks about urban development initiatives, the minister expressed the FCTA’s ongoing support, including that of departments such as Satellite Towns Development and Land Administration, to ensure the successful review of the master plan.
Earlier, Amb. Kazuyoshi noted that JICA had introduced affordable toilets in Kwali, which helped to reduce open defecation, leading to the Kwali Area Council being declared open defecation-free.
He requested further assistance from the FCT Administration to expand the toilet program to help address the high rates of open defecation in the FCT and Nigeria as a whole.
Speaking also, the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), which oversees the master plan, Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad, explained that the upcoming project will address various issues, including drainage systems, urban mobility, traffic congestion, and the smart city initiative, among others.