By Faridat Salifu
Garden developers in Abuja have raised alarm over the growing disappearance of designated green areas in the Federal Capital Territory, blaming weak enforcement and alleged complicity by civil servants.
They claim more than 500 green plots across highbrow districts such as Maitama and Asokoro have been converted for private housing or commercial use.
Originally allocated as part of the capital city’s environmental cushion, green spaces were meant to cover over 30 percent of Abuja’s layout according to the city’s master plan.
Stakeholders now say less than half of that remains intact.
A member of the Garden Owners Association, who requested anonymity, said developers are being quietly displaced despite having active agreements with the government under the Accelerated Greening Programme.
The programme offered public-private lease arrangements of up to 30 years to maintain and beautify open spaces.
The source alleged that some civil servants may be facilitating the illegal reallocations by issuing questionable Certificates of Occupancy (CofOs) to politically connected beneficiaries.
He described the trend as a “quiet conversion of environmental assets into real estate profits.”
He added that several parks have already been replaced with malls, hotels, and luxury buildings in contravention of existing land use policies.
Two internal government memos from 2006 and 2011 it was confirm earlier institutional concerns.
The 2006 memo warned that the proliferation of illegal structures on green spaces posed a risk to the integrity of the FCT master plan and proposed a registration system to track legitimate park developers.
The 2011 memo noted that revenue from over 300 green parks had dropped from projected figures of ₦100 million monthly to under ₦3 million, citing forged papers, non‑remittance, and poor oversight.
Stakeholders believe the environmental consequences are already visible in rising heat levels, reduced tree cover, and increased flood risk across the city.
They warned that future urban disasters could be wrongly blamed on climate change, when in fact they result from policy violations and governance failures.
One developer said a wetland and natural floodplain near Rita Lori Hotel in Garki was recently reassigned as a residential plot.
“This is how urban flooding begins,” he said.
He called for an immediate audit of all green space allocations and demanded that President Bola Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike intervene.
“We need a moratorium on all new approvals until a full environmental compliance review is done,” he said.
He also urged civil society, the media, and environmental professionals to pressure authorities for stronger transparency and accountability.
“This isn’t just about trees and grass,” he said.
“It’s about the liveability of Abuja in 10 or 20 years.”
Source: Blueprint
