dayokanu:

Thanks a lot

That shows that SE is the least populated of all the GeoPolitical zone

So what spin are we expecting now?

I tire oh!

dayokanu:

Thanks a lot

That shows that SE is the least populated of all the GeoPolitical zone

So what spin are we expecting now?

^^^You're looking for 'spin' abi? Have you checked inside that blockhead of yours for the one spun by spiders on that single brain cell that's layed dormant for years? That's all the spin you could ever need in there.

I knew there was an ulterior motive to your requests for data from Voodoodoll. Just to try getting one over on 'Igbos'.

You inference is since the South East is the least populated, we need to zip it and keep shtum abi? Is it the population based on the last census you're talking about?; the one that gives kano a population near to that of Lagos? Abeg no make me laugh. Those figures have been massaged and doctored to the extent that reality on ground in many areas renders said figures nothing but and expensive joke.

You talk of population abi?: When just one state in South East has equal to or more JAMB/WAEC candidates than the entire North-East geo-political zone, and also the candidates for the entire South East is equal to (or more than, if my memory serves me right) the entire candidates of the North East/North West combined; when little Owerri Airport sees more action in one day that Kano Int'l sees in three; when primary/secondary school enrolment in the 'little' South East far out-paces any region in the north. You think it's fair that revenue allocation is based only on landmass and population without taking these other factors into account: the fact that a people are ready to better themselves but are told that effort and determination count for zippo, whereas others from year to year and decade to decade look like they just couldn't be assed since the money will continue to roll in come what may, and they're always certain to receive more than those that seem to manage their receipts in a more efficient way, so why bother.

And besides, my initial argument was about federal projects/presence with respect to the different regions and was not about state/regional federal allocations.

You're standing logic on its head yet again just b'cos it's the 'Igbos' abi?.

Central to all the six zones.

I hope the poster is not a niger delta, trying to lure the CAPITAL OF NIGERIA 2 YENEGOA ,  

The British made Lagos the capital of Nigeria due to its accessibility to the outside world. The purpose of colonialism was not for developement of the region rather it was aimed at exploitation. So the British chose Lagos to be the capital since it could be easily accessed and also easy to escape in situations of revolt from the Nigerian people. Abuja on the other hand is the best place for d location of a country's capital based on centrality and sheild from external attack. I have no regret at all with the location of Nigeria capital as long as we are still one entity. We should remove all tribalistic sentiments while making judgements.

all these northern cattle rearers wont cease to amaze me. southeast has d least population? i de laugh in ibo

which one entity are you talkin about? d one that has failed already even before d predicted 2015, am still laughing in ibo

donigspain:

The British made Lagos the capital of Nigeria due to its accessibility to the outside world. The purpose of colonialism was not for developement of the region rather it was aimed at exploitation. So the British chose Lagos to be the capital since it could be easily accessed and also easy to escape in situations of revolt from the Nigerian people. Abuja on the other hand is the best place for d location of a country's capital based on centrality and sheild from external attack. I have no regret at all with the location of Nigeria capital as long as we are still one entity. We should remove all tribalistic sentiments while making judgements.

Well said! +1

buzor:

which one entity are you talkin about? d one that has failed already even before d predicted 2015, am still laughing in ibo

USA is not God! You guys should stop this inferiority complex before it consumes you!

South South

Abuja is not in the North, Why must some nairalanders use every little oppurtunity to magnify their ignorance

I ask my Dad same question when I was young may his soul rest in peace, but then Abuja was not yet develop well enough, but he said to me that Abuja is the centre of Nigeria, that the capital will be move over, I thought he was not sure what he was saying because my Dad was a retired senior Army officer, but now I can see what he meant, that is why Abuja "Centre of Unity" check it out

If you choose to be marginalized in your heart, you will be marginalized.

The Japanese could have turned themselves into perennial world beggars after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But they rose from the ashes.

So I do not understand the marginalization talk here.

1st it was Calabar then Moved to Lagos and Now Abuja.

in terms of strategic location (defense) it is safer to locate your seat of power from easily accessible spots by foreign Countries i.e Sea- cos once the Capital is taken the country falls, however the terms of battle has changed significantly over the years due to advancement in weaponry, as such the need to move large battalion of military personnel isnt a major priority as it was.

Do not be deceived by Nigeria and it's pathological liars. This is a rough estimate of population of major tribes in Africa.

[b] Arab: up to ca. 100 million, see Demographics of the Arab League
Berber: ca. 65 million
Hausa: in Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan (ca. 30 million)
Yoruba: in Nigeria and Benin (ca. 30 million)
Oromo: in Ethiopia and Kenya (ca. 30 million)
Igbo: in Nigeria and Cameroon (ca. 30 million)[2]
Fula: in Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Chad, Sudan, Togo and Côte d'Ivoire (ca. 27 million)
Akan: in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (ca. 20 million)
Amhara: in Ethiopia (ca. 20 million)
Somali: in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya (ca. 15-17 million)
Hutu: in Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo (ca. 16 million)
Ijaw in Nigeria (ca. 14 million)
Mandinka: in The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cote d' Voire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Mauritania, Chad (ca. 13 million)
Kongo: in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Republic of the Congo (ca. 10 million)
Shona: in Zimbabwe and Mozambique (ca. 10 million)
Zulu: in South Africa (ca. 10 million)
[/b]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groups_in_Africa

Calabar  became the first capital of Nigeria as it once served as the seat of Government of the Niger Coast Protectorate, Southern Protectorate and Oil River Protectorate (the modern day Nigeria). Due to her early role in international trade and colonial administration, Calabar hosts the earliest Military barracks, the first Presbyterian church (Church of Scotland Mission) in 1846, the first monorail and the first modern road network in Nigeria. The city also boasts of the first public (General) Hospital in Nigeria – St. Margaret Hospital, the oldest Post Office and one of the first two Botanical Gardens in the country.



As a social centre the city boasts of the first social club in Nigeria – The Africa Club – and also hosted the first competitive Football, Cricket and Field Hockey games in Nigeria. Among the city's firsts include the first Roman Catholic Mass (held at 19 Boco Street, Calabar - 1903) and the oldest secondary school (Hope Waddell Training Institute - 1895) in eastern Nigeria. The School later produced the first Nigerian President Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. Prominent figures in the history of Calabar include King Archibong III - the first king in southern Nigeria to be crowned with regalia sent by Queen Victoria of England in 1878.

         

Others include Professor Eyo Ita - the first Nigerian Professor, Sir Louis Edet - First Nigerian Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Margaret Ekpo - first woman Special member in Nigeria's Eastern House of Chiefs and later Eastern House of Assembly, Hogan Kid Bassey - first Nigeria's World Boxing Champion and Etubom Oyo Orok Oyo - premier football administrator, first and only Nigerian so far to be elected into Executive Committee of FIFA (1980 – 1988) and the first African to be made an Honorary Vice president of Confederation of African Football (CAF) (from 1988 for life

There are some arguments that aren't just necessary to waste energy on. Truly Abuja is at the center of Nigeria but they call that place North. Who are we to question?

South east is more populated than any region in the North not minding the land mass. Go round the North and you end up asking where are the people. The only place you will find people in Kano State is the capital city Kano and Wudil. The allocated population figure of Kano is false. Take for instance people in the North East (Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Taraba) lives miles apart. Fuse them together you wouldnt have more than the population of Anambra and Imo combined. Yobe shouldnt be more than three local councils (Damaturu, Potiskum and Gashua), Borno shouldnt be more than four local councils and so on so forth.

For the records, Nigeria is not up to 150 million as claimed by our politicians. All the lands in the North are empty filled with all kinds of animals which Northerners count to be part of the population. There will be a point that the land in the South east wouldnt be enough to contain the inhabitants.

If Nigeria really want to develop, all tribal sentiment should be laid aside and all stakeholders come together to solve it problems. We are made to believe that the North is so populated, so it has being. All these could be corrected if we truly want to develop.

@poster Ohone A Friend

Abuja: From jungle to world centre in 20 years


Written by Sulaimon Olanrewaju Wednesday, 14 December 2011

On Monday, Abuja, the federal capital, turned 20 years as the seat of government. Sulaimon Olanrewaju writes on events that have shaped the burgeoning African capital.

NONE of the minds that conceived the idea of relocating the federal capital from Lagos to Abuja would believe the transformation that has come upon the new federal capital city since the seat of government moved there on 12 December, 1991. The place once described as a jungle has become a lovely city that houses some of the best  architectural designs the world can boast of, from government buildings to company headquarters to foreign missions and world-class hotels. Abuja has moved from being a deserted terrain to a besieged land as the crème de la crème always find their way to the city for one thing or the other.

The journey of making Abuja the nation's new capital city started without Abuja being in the picture. The Murtala Muhammed administration in 1975 set up a seven-man panel (Justice Akinola Aguda, chairman; Dr Tai Solarin, Colonel Monsignor Pedro Martins, Alhaji Musa Isma, Chief Owen Fiebai, Dr Ajato Gondonu and Prof O. Ogan) to examine the suitability of Lagos as the nation's capital city. The panel, known as Aguda Panel, was also empowered to advise the government on alternative locations should it find Lagos unfit to continue as the federal capital.

Aguda Panel returned a verdict of Lagos' inappropriateness as federal capital. This was hinged primarily on the population explosion of the city coupled with the limited opportunity for expansion. Thus, going by its terms of reference, the panel considered about 30 other locations using a set of 13 criteria. The panel eventually picked Abuja, a virgin land, principally because of its location in the centre of the nation and its ethnic neutrality.

The panel, in its report, observed that, “It is needless for us to state the obvious that we are just in the process of building a nation of the many nations which occupy the geographic area known as Nigeria. It is our belief that one way of forging the idea of unity of this nation is by building a capital city which will belong to every Nigerian, where every Nigerian will rest assured that he has opportunity to live in parity with every other Nigerian, and where no Nigerian will be regarded either in law or on the facts as a native foreigner.”

The Federal Government accepted the panel's recommendation that “a centrally located federal capital in a spacious area with easy access to all parts of the federation would be an asset to the nation and would help in generating a new sense of national unity.”

The government also stressed that Abuja was to be “a symbol of Nigeria's aspiration for unity and greatness and to be the seat of government, a place of and a symbol of unity, a melting pot of Nigeria's diverse cultures, a magnet of diverse peoples and nations and a place of physical beauty and an exemplary physical environment.”

With that, the end of the reign of Lagos as the federal capital began as the stage was set for the relocation of the nation's capital to Abuja.

With the report of the panel submitted and approved by the government, the military administration in power then promulgated a decree to establish the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and also the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), which was charged with the responsibility of planning, designing and developing the FCT.

By February of 1979, the Abuja Master Plan was ready but the building of the city did not really commence until 1980, after the assumption of office of Alhaji Sheu Shagari as the nation's president. He devoted much time and attention to the building of the new capital city. The construction work going on in the budding city during the Shagari presidency was so much that Abuja was referred to as the largest construction site on earth. While the city was still under construction, the Shagari administration on October 1, 1982 held the 22nd independence anniversary in Abuja.

However, construction work in Abuja was halted following the ousting of Shagari from power by the duo of Mohammed Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon in a coup d'état on December 31, 1983. No additional block was added to Abuja while Buhari held sway as the head of state because the military government he headed viewed the civilian government it kicked out of power as profligate. It was not until General Ibrahim Babangida took over power that work resumed in Abuja.

The Babangida administration also took the development of the new federal capital seriously and brought development in Abuja to an appreciable state, which necessitated the movement of the presidency from Lagos to Abuja on 12 December, 1991. With the presidency moving to Abuja, a number of ministries were also moved to the new capital city but the bulk of ministries as well as foreign missions remained in Lagos.

The ascension to power of General Sani Abacha, in 1993, saw an improvement in the status of Abuja as the capital city, especially following his directive to all ministries, agencies and foreign missions to move to the federal capital territory.

Although there is no argument about the beauty of the federal capital, some people are of the opinion that the exquisiteness would have been more pronounced had the government not allowed a deviation from the city's original master plan.

In a paper titled The City as Public Space: Abuja - the Capital City of Nigeria, Goomsu Ikoku posits that,[b] “As built, the National Assembly Complex is situated in its proposed location on a knoll overlooking the rest of the Central Area. It is the terminus of the axis centring on Aso Hill, symbolising the Legislature as the place where the nation's laws are made, by focusing all other functions in the Central Area, and implicitly the nation, on it.

“The rest of the composition of the Central Area has changed considerably. The Executive (Presidential Villa Complex) and the Judiciary (Supreme Court Complex) have been relocated to two knolls next to the Legislature (National Assembly Complex). The road network has been altered encircling all three arms of government in one location, hence the name The Three Arms Zone. This arrangement is propitious in that it consolidates the Aso Hill terminus of the axis and amplifies the symbolism of The Three Arms Zone as the focus and centre of the nation.”

He also observes that, “The other changes however are not as auspicious. The mall and the four minor squares are no more. The site of the Central Square remains, though it is yet to be built. However, another national square, variously called Eagle Square or Festival Ground, has been built. It is located where the Central Park was proposed and has an adjoining Memorial Arcade jutting into The Three Arms Zone.”[/b]

But the alteration is not restricted to government buildings alone. T[b]he government, probably in its bid to fast track development in the capital city, allocated wrong spots to people and organisations. This precipitated a wave of slapdash constructions not in tandem with the master plan. [/b]Consequently, a number of slums sprang up and uncoordinated constructions emerged even close to the sewers and in green areas.

It was the alteration of the master plan, with buildings springing up in wrong places, that forced Mallam Nasir el Rufai, former Federal Capital Territory minister, to insist on the demolition exercise that he embarked upon. According to the former minister, it was imperative for the nation to preserve the beauty of the capital city. But the exit of el Rufai from government has not led to the end of the demolition exercise as efforts are still on to rid the federal capital of anything that would detract from making it a city that would elicit pride from Nigerians and foreigners alike.

Speaking recently on the effort of the government to improve the state of Abuja, the current FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, said the FCT Administration was doing its best to upgrade infrastructure and facilities in the city to meet best international standards.

He added that the FCT Administration was committed to the development of not just the Abuja city but also the satellite towns as a deliberate way of decongesting the city centre. He also disclosed that the administration was improving the transportation links between the Federal Capital City (FCC) and the area councils through the construction of light railway networks and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes for mass transit buses.

However, despite the splendour of Abuja, the major concern of the common man is that the initial plan of making the Federal Capital Territory a home for every Nigerian is fast becoming a mirage. The ongoing urban renewal exercise in the city has driven away many low-income and middle-income earners from the city because the cost of living in the capital city is way above the means of the average Nigerian. So, to the average Nigerian, Abuja, the federal capital, is for the very wealthy and the political class and not a home for all.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/features/32734-abuja-from-jungle-to-world-centre-in-20-years

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-825102.0.html

johnie:

The journey of making Abuja the nation's new capital city started without Abuja being in the picture. The Murtala Muhammed administration in 1975 set up a seven-man panel (Justice Akinola Aguda, chairman; Dr Tai Solarin, Colonel Monsignor Pedro Martins, Alhaji Musa Isma, Chief Owen Fiebai, Dr Ajato Gondonu and Prof O. Ogan) to examine the suitability of Lagos as the nation's capital city. The panel, known as Aguda Panel, was also empowered to advise the government on alternative locations should it find Lagos unfit to continue as the federal capital.

Aguda Panel returned a verdict of Lagos' inappropriateness as federal capital. This was hinged primarily on the population explosion of the city coupled with the limited opportunity for expansion. Thus, going by its terms of reference, the panel considered about 30 other locations using a set of 13 criteria. The panel eventually picked Abuja, a virgin land, principally because of its location in the centre of the nation and its ethnic neutrality.

Isn't it interesting that contrary to the widely held belief that the northerners deliberately moved the capital to the "north", only one northerner was on the seven-man panel?

On the other hand, some may argue that it is a case of the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob!

Abuja is the Federal Capital of Prostitution of Nigeria!

@Voodoo thanks for the numbers ,numbers dont lie. We dont need kill ourselves over where should be the capital just that we lack vision.

We can have a Nigeria with Abuja as administrative capital, Plateau state as solid minerals capital , Anambra as commercial capital, Benue as Agricultural Capital, Anambra as commercial capital, Cross River as Tourism capital , all prosperous states. Let us stop all these hopeless tribal superiority battle they show something is worng with our education.

Dont know really

sheyguy:

While lagos has clearly has more population and smaller land mass kano has moderate population (in reality)

You Nairalanders will never cease to amaze me. Have you been to Kano o? See this guy lmao!

The same oyinbo that you people looked to citing 'credible' elections give naija population 150 million which i dont doubt at all. Given the geography and terrain. Go and sleep with your tribal glasses o

So if I get the argument here, allocation is based on population? I think allocation should be based upon both population AND economic growth/contribution. Well, although SE has a lower population, their GDP per capita is the second highest amongst the region. Unfortunately, population is good but I think quality is better than quantity, in other words, I see no reason for comparison if the SE are doing their thing to develop their region in the case of a breakup i.e. if that's the concern.

Kobojunkie:

A Capital is supposed to be in the middle? Where did that come from??

I taya oh. I even had to google.

Nadanbata:

You Nairalanders will never cease to amaze me. Have you been to Kano o? See this guy lmao!

there is no way kano state or its capital will be more populated than lagos. If u know how demographic is worked out maybe u will apprfciate my contribution here. There was excess material for northerners to cheat with and they did just that. The north has carefully used the manipulation of population figure to their economic and political advantage.

If u r aware and can still remembe the 2006 populatn censor saw mass influx of pple from Niger and Chad who got counted multiple times and most eastern states where not having enough material while in the west there was low level of awareness/rebellion in some rural area.

sheyguy:

there is no way kano state or its capital will be more populated than lagos. If u know how demographic is worked out maybe u will apprfciate my contribution here. There was excess material for northerners to cheat with and they did just that. The north has carefully used the manipulation of population figure to their economic and political advantage.

If u r aware and can still remembe the 2006 populatn censor saw mass influx of pple from Niger and Chad who got counted multiple times and most eastern states where not having enough material while in the west there was low level of awareness/rebellion in some rural area.

The question is "Have you gone to Kano before?". Keep in mind that a good number of people you find in Lagos do not actually live in Lagos, people come in from Ogun state to work in Lagos every day and go back to their houses after work, also some people come in from other part of Naija to do business. Can you count them among Lagos population?

all these northern cattle rearers wont cease to amaze me. southeast has d least population? i de laugh in ibo


You southern cattle eaters should have no problem.GEJ has budgetted 250 Billion Naira for Naija Delta Agency (2012 budget) in addition to the the Niger Delta Ministry budget and allocations and states budgets shown in many posts above. Enough to develop 2 Abujas , but trust your people, they will rarther steal the money and keep in foreign banks or go and build in Abuja. ( Alamesia, ibori, odili)

Lagos is just too conjested man and probably coz of coup de tats and safety abuja might be a better option

I really do not know where afam got his idea that a capital is supposed to be at the centre from  coupled with his silly "if Nigeria should split up scenario". clearly his purpose is to stir things up and so we shall indulge him.
unfortunately he lacks the intellectual software to do meaningfull analysis and is equally deficient in the humility to absorb wisdom even if  when force fed.
of course in typically Nigerian optimism we persist hoping that "GOD" will be merciful.

Capital are the seats of central government and are not necessarily the biggest,most developed [/b]or central cities
a few examples
Cote d'Ivoire   = Yamoussoukro
Switzerland = Bern
USA =Washington
Australia =Canberra

Nigeria has nearly1000km of coastline on the Atlantic unfortunately most of it is mangrove swamp and does not provide ready access to the Atlantic unlike the case in our neighbours to the West ;Togo,Benin and Accra. The only exception is Lagos and as such the strategic importance of Lagos cannot be overstated. In fact Lagos can be likened to the mouth : nothing enters the body until it has its share. Thus the British found it to be a convenient administrative base and that is how it became the capital when Northern and Southern Protectorates merged.
It was admistered after independence as a Federal territory and as absorbed into Lagos state in 1967.
[b]A very COMMON ERROR most people make is to assume LAGOS STATE was the capital of Nigeria. IT WAS NOT
After the creation of Lagos state the capital territory remained inside the state and comprised Lagos Island,Victoria Island and Ikoyi and remained under Federal administration . This housed such institutions like State House Marina,Dodan Barracks,The Supreme Court,The Federal Secretariat at Ikoyi The former National assembly and the Tafawa Balewa Square[b] ALL BUILT BY THE BRITISH[/b]
After the war this arrangement was felt to be unworkable and it was decided to find a new location. Abuja was chosen purportedly because of its central location and distance from the sea thus making it less of a target to hostile attacks,reasoning that appears defunct in the light of modern technology.
Should it have been built on the grandiose scale that it was given our meagre resources perhaps not but it is what it is.
The fundamental difference between the two cities is that Lagos pays its way because of its strategic location . We must remember that about 80% of manufacturing takes place inside Lagos state and none in the former federal capital area. Specifically in Ikeja and this is where most of the Excise duties are generated. This is directly related to the Location of the port and historically the North South rail line built by the British ( In their wisdom they never built an East-West line).
We must remember that Ikeja was part of the Western Region until Lagos State was Created as was Indeed most of the state. So Lagos's position as the manufacturing hub owes more to its strategic location and the foresight and industry of the Western regional leaders and entrepreneurs.
There is no right of a capital city to be an industrial hub e.g Dresden and Leipzig in Germany and it is unlikely that Abuja will become a major economic centre in Nigeria
The question of why other cities were not chosen is germane but contrary to conspiracy theories the core North did not want it neither did the West and given the ,at the time,recent Biafra affair the East was not considered. My view is that the money spent on Abuja would have been better spent on developing our coastline so that access would be possible all the way to the east. Dredging the Niger is good but not quite the same thing

it is simply NOT TRUE that Calabar was EVER the capital of Nigeria .Nigeria came into existence in 1914  so for this claim to be true it must have been capital IN or AFTER 1914.
we must remember that the Lagos Colony was a separate entity from the Southern Protectorate until 1906 .

As such Calabar was never a capital city from the time of the 1914 Amalgamation but was a capital of   part/NOT ALL of "Southern Nigeria" i.e Niger Coast Protectorate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Nigeria_Protectorate

kokoA:

The question is "Have you gone to Kano before?". Keep in mind that a good number of people you find in Lagos do not actually live in Lagos, people come in from Ogun state to work in Lagos every day and go back to their houses after work, also some people come in from other part of Naija to do business. Can you count them among Lagos population?

evfrything u just said abt kano xcept the fact thapt pple who live in ogun go to work in lagos exist in Lagos as well, ur argument is very weak.