Three Areas were recommended for Regional Recreation use in the Abuja
Development Program. The Zuma Hills is among the ones recognized for National Monument and Wilderness protection areas. The second is Potential Game Reserve and the third, National Holiday Village.
The area earmarked as a potential game reserve is the Bobo Plains, an extensive plain land separating the two drainages of Afara and Bokwoi rivers. The plain is a very suitable habitat for wildlife as such recommended for creation of game reserve of a National significance. The National Holiday Village is a concept of a “unity village”, discussed at the state level in Nigeria. It is intended to facilitate travels and visits between states by Nigerians. It is to be located around the BwariAso Hills.
Unfortunately all the above proposals as beautiful as they are were treated with levity or not being recognized at all by the succeeding FCT Administrations right from the onset. The result now is lack of knowledge that they even exist. Almost all these locations, most especially the area constituting the Bobo plains are now violated. This was the reason the 2019 FCT Park Policy included the reclamation of areas originally designated as Parks and Recreational sites which were distorted for other uses.
Specifically, in consideration of the effect of climate change on the FCT environment, the Policy states that “All designated Parks, Green Areas, Open Spaces and other Recreational Sites which Land Uses have been changed for other Land Uses shall be recovered and reverted to Parks and Recreations Department. Some of these include the resigned/encroached plots, Bobo Plains, Green Belts, Zuma Rock
Wildlife Park, Abuja Ultra-Modern Zoological Garden at Lower Usuma Dam, Zigakuchi Wildlife Park, Abuja Central Park Botanical Garden, Yaba Wildlife Park etc”.
Most of the areas mentioned above have mostly been redesigned for mass housing developments. Whether the desired reclamation would be achieved depends on political will of future leaderships. Among all these, it is only the Zuma Rock that is not part of the FCT. However, due to the natural attraction exhibited by the Zuma Rock, the Abuja Master Plan made a special proposal, akin to a doctrine of special circumstances. Thus, in the Chapter 12 of the document, which discussed the Regional Development Plan, after discussing Regional Recreation as highlighted above, the succeeding topic was Joint Planning District.
It is apparent, that in almost all modern metropolitan areas throughout the world, the dynamic of spontaneous urban growth respond to transportation (accessibility) and economics. Characteristically political boundaries tend to be ignored. The plan thus recommends that those areas in the FCT adjoining highways, particularly highways linking with areas outside the territory would require great attention. Condition has already induced development to occur in ways not specified in the Master plan.
Thus, areas immediately adjacent to the capital city are likely to experience the greatest pressure for change and suffer irreparable damage. The Abuja master plan recommends that special joint planning areas be established with the states surrounding the FCT. Because the impact of the issue involved are very different.
Therefore, Imperative and Desirable Special Joint Planning Areas are recognized. Subsequent proposals at the National Assembly, went ahead to propose the creation of a Commission.
The first area which the master plan considered imperative for joint planning is Suleja – Bwari district. This area includes the triangle of land occupied by Suleja penetrating into the FCT. Its northern border would be the Tapa River between the boarders of the FCT. Also included is the northeast panhandle of the FCT from one kilometer north of the edge of the Usman watershed to the northern boundary of the FCT.
It is observed that the Urban Development Boards of the States sharing boundaries with the FCT lack basic tools and instruments to control developments in their urban areas close to the FCT boarders, similar to the standard of what the FCT has. The Special Joint FCT-State Planning Districts proposal has the benefits of upgrading the Urban Development Plans of the various surrounding States to the Abuja Master Plan standard.
The fact is that many important proposals of the Abuja Master plan were overlooked and neglected due to the absence of the relevant professionals to decode the highly skilled plan to the attention of the policy makers for implementation.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the Zuma Rock along the Abuja-Kaduna
Expressway, in Suleja Niger State, an elaborate and beautiful recreation of natural environment has been developed by a private organization as the “Zuma Resort”. This is a product of innovative minds without adequate knowledge of the existing plan in the Abuja Development Program.
The display of environment of natural beauty around the Zuma Rock by the “Zuma Resort, is of global and international standard. It is now playing host to numerous national and international events. The Resort is about to be recognized by the UNESCO International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme. This is exactly the vision of the Abuja Master plan for the area.
Concluded.