Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai revealed that during his tenure as FCT Minister, he discovered a significant imbalance in residential land ownership in Abuja. After analyzing land allocations, he found that three individuals from three Nigerian states owned 62 percent of all residential plots in the Federal Capital Territory. Concerned about this concentration, El-Rufai said he felt it undermined Abuja’s role as a federal capital meant to represent all Nigerians.
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El-Rufai recounted that he approached Chief Audu Ogbeh, then PDP chairman, to discuss the findings. Ogbeh agreed that a more balanced distribution was necessary to ensure broader participation in the city’s development. Two days later, Ogbeh proposed identifying states without any FCT landowners, such as Bayelsa, and allocating substantial parcels of land to their governments. This approach would allow these states to distribute land to their citizens, fostering a sense of ownership among all Nigerians.
The former minister noted that the plan received approval from then-President Olusegun Obasanjo and was subsequently implemented. He emphasized the importance of inclusivity in the Federal Capital Territory, stating: “I was posted to the FCT. Shortly after I settled down, we did an analysis of residential land allocations in the federal capital territory and found out that three indigenes of three states in Nigeria owned 62 percent of all the residential plots in Abuja. I won’t mention the states. But that worried me personally because if we are building the FCT, everyone should have a stake.”
El-Rufai’s account highlights efforts to correct historical inequities in land distribution and ensure that Abuja functions as a truly representative federal capital. The initiative sought to provide states and their citizens an opportunity to own land in the FCT, reinforcing the city’s national character.
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