2nd June 2025
By
Lara Adejoro
Despite its master plan, Abuja is struggling under rapid, unregulated growth, with diminishing green spaces and increasing environmental hazards turning parts of the city into what many describe as “close to hell”, LARA ADEJORO reports
When 36-year-old Rita Agbo was transferred to Abuja in June 2022, the city looked cool, it was everything her Lagos colleagues said it would be—orderly roads, less traffic, sprawling estates behind high gates. Little did she know that the city could scorch under the sun and then drown in floods all in the same year.
Her first apartment in Lokogoma looked good with tiled floors and modern fittings, but the design was flawed. The living room had just one window, and the two in the bedroom barely let in air. There was little cross-ventilation, and by July, the heat was merciless. Her air conditioners could not cushion the heat.
When her rent expired in 2023, she moved to another apartment in Lugbe. But after facing another phase of unbearable heat, flooding, and rising rent, Agbo realized she wasn’t just searching for a home, but a livable space free from bush burning, and extreme heat.
“I later learnt of a newer estate in Lugbe with fewer buildings, more trees, and better space. I moved there late last year, and it’s been relatively better.
“I think Abuja landlords and landladies just want to build houses without considering comfort or the effects on our health. The government seems not to be enforcing the rules and regulations in building houses, and this is obvious because you just see houses growing everywhere, even close to where there is gully erosion,” Agbo said.
As the days grew hotter in February this year, the heat became so unbearable that she cut her hair short and resorted to wearing wigs occasionally for convenience.
Her experience is far from unique. Others like her are making similar moves in search of cooler, safer spaces to raise their families.
Her struggle for comfort in a city once hailed for its promise reflects a deeper issue, which is rooted in how far Abuja has drifted from its original master plan.
From plan to chaos
In 1975, Nigeria’s bustling capital Lagos was overcrowded and congested, and the military government in power at the time set up a committee and charged the members to develop a new planned capital for the country.
The committee reported that Lagos was too crowded and did not have enough land space for development, so it could not serve as both a state and Nigeria’s capital city.
So, the master plan for Abuja at the time of its creation was designed to be a clean, healthy, and organized city. It was also designed to prioritize the type of soil, the quality of plants, the shape of the land, the weather, and places that should be protected.
The plan also made sure the new capital would have the most comfortable and healthful climate available, sufficient space to grow in the future, with buildable soils.
But five decades later, the plan is fading. The Federal Capital Territory which was conceived as a model city of order and comfort now struggles under the weight of its own rapid, unplanned growth.
Housing developments often ignore building codes. Heat waves and flash floods have become more frequent. Residents now grapple with a daily battle against extreme weather, poor ventilation, and overcrowded neighbourhoods.
The land is no longer green
While the Federal Capital Territory Administration claims the population in the city is 3,464,123, on 1,769 square kilometres, and the green area is 33 per cent, the former President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, and Managing Director of Nathan Export Design Advisors Ltd, Nathaniel Atebije said the city’s green area is now far less than 33 per cent.
The population is also growing fast, from 3.4 million in 2024 to over 4.2 million in 2025, according to Macrotrends.
“Abuja was designed to be a garden city with a lot of green areas. There used to be trees from the airport road towards Giri, Gwagwalada, even towards Lokoja,” Atebije recalled. “But most of the trees are gone now.”
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal warned that “Abuja city faces significant environmental and transportation-related issues, ranging from frequent flooding, poor waste management to traffic congestion, air pollution and rising greenhouse gas emissions.”
Lawal, who was represented by his Permanent Secretary, Mahmud Kambari at the 2025 Abuja city environmental sustainability summit in Abuja, added that these are not just any environmental problems, but developmental issues as they impact health, economy, livelihood, and quality of life.
“It is important to note that this city is at high risk of environment and climate-related disasters, which includes insecurity and other risks essential to environment and climate-related issues,” the Minister said.
But for thousands of Abuja residents, the warnings are already their daily reality as they live through stifling heat, flash floods, and an ongoing search for livable spaces in a city losing its balance.
In place of trees and gardens, tiles now dominate residential compounds,trapping heat instead of cooling it.
Landlords and landladies prioritize aesthetics over environmental considerations. While the tiled look is seen as modern, it comes at the cost of greenery, natural cooling, and long-term sustainability.
While a law mandating the planting of trees in compounds exists, it is often ignored.
Scorched and struggling
As record-breaking heat intensifies, many residents relocate from one area to another in search of comfort and fresher air. The discomfort is not only driving internal migration but also contributing to public health issues.
Every year, the effects of climate change become more evident, and experts say it’s only going to get worse.
In April, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency said that if safety precautions are not taken, residents in Abuja, Kano, and many other northern states are likely to suffer heat strokes due to the scorching heat waves.
For Abuja residents, it’s a constant battle against the scorching heat, with little relief in sight. Many are forced to wear lighter clothing, carry water with them everywhere they go, and bathe multiple times a day just to survive the relentless heat.
The peculiar impact of heat in Abuja has been multifaceted, affecting both daily life and long-term well-being. The scorching temperatures, often exceeding 40°C during peak heat periods, put immense pressure on residents, especially those who live in poorly ventilated homes or lack access to cooling systems.
Even estate developers admit the problem. The National President of the Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria, Akintoye Adeoye said, “Landlords and landladies are cutting corners to just micromanage the land spaces, people are building houses that are not well-ventilated, people are building houses that if you open your window, it can touch your neighbour’s window. You will see rooms that are not standard according to the building code, this means they are building without approval.”
Adeoye noted that the government is making some efforts to clear illegal structures, especially under current FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, but its efforts are not enough.
Search for breathing space
For many residents, these harsh conditions have made finding a truly livable home in Abuja an ongoing struggle.
A 35-year-old Ibukun Adaramola secondary school teacher said she had moved her family of four from a two-bedroom in Gwagwalada to Mabuchi when her husband got a good job in the city.
Ibukun Adaramola also struggled with heat when she relocated from Akure to Gwagwalada in 2023. The afternoons were especially harsh, and her one-bedroom apartment offered little relief from the scorching sun.
After getting a better job in late 2024, she relocated to Mabushi but she could not cope with the narrow roads, and the gutters filled with refuse.
“The heat here isn’t as intense, and the environment feels more comfortable compared to Gwagwalada. Sometimes, I jokingly ask people if Gwagwalada is close to hell. But, you will have to keep struggling with pedestrians on the road while driving in the streets. Plus, the gutters are always filled with grasses, pet bottles, sachet nylons, and all kinds.
“We have to move to Wuye early this year because it has wider roads, it’s clean, and less noise pollution.
“Generally, I think the landlords and landladies have abandoned the original master plan, and they build anywhere, you can hardly see anyone of them planting trees or having gardens,” she narrated.
Despite these concerns, landlords and landladies do not totally accept the blame.
A landlady who owns a property at an estate in Lugbe, Mrs Kehinde Towolawi, said many residents consider aesthetics when settling for apartments.
Towolawi said, “Mostly, it’s not the landlord or landlady’s fault when building. For instance, if I buy a property in an estate, I believe the person who owns the entire estate would have gone through the due process with the government.
“Then, when building, you have to consider what your tenants or prospective tenants will look out for. As a landlady, you have to listen to them because they have several options, but then the aesthetics in the compound determines how much you bill the tenants.”
For Mr. Daniel Eze, a landlord with two properties in Lokogoma and Lugbe, residents’ frustrations are understandable, but he believes the criticism aimed at landlords is sometimes unfair and oversimplified.
“I agree that comfort matters, but we also have to work within what is available. Sometimes, the layout of the plot, and the designs already limit how much you can alter.
“Many landlords buy plots in bulk estates where the general design and infrastructure are already decided by developers. You can’t just plant trees or move things around. There are rules in estates, and in some cases, the estate managers don’t even allow individual landscaping,” he argued.
Corruption, climate, and compromise
Adeoye insisted that the weak enforcement of Abuja’s master plan is a shared responsibility, blaming the government, landlords, and developers who cut corners by constructing buildings without proper approvals.
“They (landlords) build without approval, and you will see rooms that are not of standard according to the building code. If the government insists on seeing the approval for every construction, I assure you that they will do the right thing.
“But people are not obtaining approval before construction, that is why you see congestions in some locations, you will see more than 100 people living in just 1,000 square meters of land, and this is not good,” he stated.
He said the Abuja master plan is being distorted due to compromises made by the government, especially with green spaces being converted for commercial use.
Adeoye affirmed that the Abuja master plan is being distorted due to compromises made by the government, especially with green spaces being converted for commercial use.
“The government also compromises, and that is the truth. If you look at the Abuja master plan, you will see the Abuja master plan has a lot of greens, and some of these greens will be allocated to people, and they will convert to commercial use, and these are locations where it’s supposed to be 100 per cent green,” he stated.
Abuja’s overheating crisis is also about systemic failures. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the world’s cities are heating up at twice the global average rate due to rapid urbanization and the urban heat island effect.
“By 2100, many cities across the world could warm as much as 4°C if greenhouse gas emissions continue at high levels. This excess heat will have devastating impacts on urban communities and infrastructure: extreme heat is already a leading cause of deaths by climate-driven hazards, with 356,000 deaths in 2019 alone.
“For the 1.6 billion city residents who will face extreme heat by 2050, the health and economic impacts of extreme heat are crippling,” it noted.
The UN stated that there is an urgent need to transition to more sustainable and equitable ways to cool down and ensure access to cooling where needed, without further warming the planet.
An environmentalist, Philip Jakpor said the situation in Abuja reflects this global crisis in stark terms.
Jakpor, who is also the Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, pointed out that the very design of the city has been compromised largely by the planners themselves who gave permits for people to build in supposed green areas and areas that should provide some protection because of the status of such people in society.
He said, “Most of the structures are owned by serving or former military officers and public officials or those connected to them. On the other hand, the people who live on the fringes of Abuja who equally occupy preserved areas are victims of poor urban planning and government failure to provide affordable and decent housing.
“Unfortunately the illegalities are now fighting back as there are no longer protections against the elements, thereby exacerbating climate impacts. What we need is a serious government that will not politicise the situation but will revoke such structures and compel people to do the right thing. That is the way to go,” he emphasized.
A licenced advisory consultant architect and project management solutions provider, Bodunrin Oguntoye, said the initial master plan of the capital city is under threat.
Oguntoye, who is also principal architect and co-founder at Vista Collaborative Consultants, said while regulations still exist on paper, particularly within the Federal Capital Development Authority, enforcement is weak as informal settlements, encroachments into green zones, and conversion of green areas into commercial or residential spaces have become common.
“Many developers prioritise maximizing land use and profitability over environmental standards. As a result, we see high-rise developments without adequate green belts, minimal setbacks, poor ventilation planning, and tree felling with little or no replacement efforts.
“The initial master plan is not being fully adhered to. While the foundational principles still guide some aspects of development, inconsistent enforcement, rapid urbanization, and disregard for environmental sustainability have led to a drift from the original vision,” the architect said.
Rules exist but no enforcers
These problems may persist as the main challenge lies in monitoring and enforcement, according to Atebije.
“Rules exist,” Atebije said, “but there are no enforcers. When you go to development control that is in charge of controlling all the developments in Abuja, you will know that the number of staff they have is grossly inadequate.
“What of equipment? How many machines do they have? If there is a wrong development and it needs to be brought down, how do you go there? Before they get there, the thing has been completed.
“If there is a wrong development and it needs to be brought down, how do you go there? Before they get there, the thing has been completed, and they don’t have enough vehicles to be able to move around all the districts.
Atebije, however, concluded that despite the challenges, there is still hope for change through policy reform.
“There is hope for the future, things are not going to continue like this. The city plan is still going to be reviewed. Illegal development in the city can only be corrected through enforcement without sentiments,” he said.
PUNCH