Insecurity: One of Abuja’s founding fathers begs FG to restrict influx of people

Fred Itua, Abuja

This, according to him, will help stem the problem of insecurity that has bedeviled the nation’s capital and distorting the Abuja Master Plan.

He gave this charge in a telephone interview with newsmen, saying, once there is influx of people, there will be insecurity as well and if care is not taken, what happened in Lagos can repeat itself in Abuja.

Bamidele 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 neccassary arrangements is made to cope with the increase.

“Before I left Abuja, after my retirement ( over 25yrs ago) Abuja Master Plan was being followed to the later, however, during the tenure of the incubent Governor of Kaduna state , Nasir El-Rufia as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, there was distortion of the Abuja Master Plan and steps were immediately taking 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 emplaced,” 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 set up 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 or 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. In spite of the fact that I am now independent, yet I must make sure that whatever I say must be defended,if we were given publicity, I would have been able to tell what actually transpired. I don’t think it’s proper for me to say anything about the journey.

“All I can say for now is that, a panel was set up, to me it was just like an ordinary routine official assignment which needed no announcement as at that time. So many administrative capitals were studied then, but the emphasis was on the Brazilian administrative pattern and that is what is being followed till date.

“We started Abuja from Suleja in 1979 we rented small houses for offices before we started building Abuja before we moved to Abuja. After my retirement, I had the opportunity to visit Abuja again in 2013 for my 70th birthday, I could see a lot of development and a lot of  changes that I could hardly recognize a lot of places then, there was a lot of development as at then, by now, I am sure the development must be spectacular,” he said with nostalgia.