FCT minister urged to stop allocating, converting green areas

A group of housing sector stakeholders has urged Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to halt the allocation and conversion of designated green areas in Abuja for other uses.

The group, known as Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN), explained that such allocation or conversion threatens the city’s environmental sustainability, urban planning integrity, and quality of life of its residents.

A leading civil society organization, HDAN, which champions housing rights and sustainable urban development in Nigeria, raised an alarm when it observed that parks, gardens, and buffer zones originally reserved as green areas of the city are now being eroded through indiscriminate land allocations for commercial and residential developments.

The group said this trend, if left unchecked, could plunge the capital into severe environmental, social, and infrastructural crises.

“Abuja was carefully planned with specific provisions for green areas to ensure a healthy living environment. Unfortunately, we are witnessing the gradual encroachment on these spaces, which not only violates the city’s master plan, but also endangers its future sustainability,” Festus Adebayo, the group’s executive director, noted.

Adebayo noted further that green areas are essential for regulating urban temperature, improving air quality, reducing flooding, and providing much-needed recreational spaces for families and communities, warning that turning such spaces into concrete jungles poses long-term dangers to the environment and undermines Abuja’s original vision as a model city.

He disclosed that HDAN has received multiple reports from stakeholders in housing, real estate, and environmental protection sectors, raising concerns about the increasing loss of green zones.

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“The destruction of these areas is not just an environmental issue, it is also a governance and accountability matter,” he emphasized, noting that preserving green spaces is vital to ensuring that Abuja does not become a city defined by congestion, pollution, and poor livability.

Residents have also raised alarm over the conversion of Abuja’s designated green belts into estates and private developments. In several districts such as Guzape, Maitama, Wuse, Katampe, and Kado, areas originally mapped as utility corridors and environmental buffers have been fenced, cleared, and built upon.

This trend is already taking a toll on the city, with flooding, burst sewer lines, and worsening air quality becoming more frequent, particularly during the rainy season when natural water channels are obstructed.

HDAN therefore cautions that unchecked development could worsen traffic congestion, deprive children of recreational spaces, and expose communities to health and safety risks.

Environment experts have added that citing structures near waterways and directly under power transmission lines not only violates safety standards but also heightens the risk of disasters. The growing concern is that Abuja is gradually losing its environmental balance and livability due to the erosion of its green areas.

“The Minister should prioritize strict enforcement of the Abuja Master Plan, ensure transparency in land allocations, and launch a comprehensive audit of all areas designated as green zones,” Adebayo advised.

He called for stronger collaboration with urban planners, environmentalists, and housing advocates to create sustainable solutions for development without compromising green infrastructure.

“Cities across the world are embracing greener and more sustainable urban policies, but Abuja risks moving in the opposite direction if this issue is not urgently addressed.

Protecting our green spaces is not negotiable; it is about safeguarding the future of the capital and ensuring the wellbeing of generations to come,” he said.

While acknowledging the enormous pressures on land in the FCT due to rapid urbanization, the executive director maintained that such challenges should not justify the destruction of spaces that are meant to serve public interest, urging the government to explore innovative housing and infrastructure policies that balance growth with sustainability.