Key points
- REDAN has urged the FCT Administration to review the Abuja Master Plan without altering designated parks and green areas.
- The association recommends redeveloping low-density neighbourhoods into high-rise developments instead of converting green spaces.
- It says expanding infrastructure into undeveloped areas offers a more sustainable solution to Abuja’s growing population.
- REDAN describes parks as essential environmental assets that should be preserved for future generations.
Main story
The Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to review the Abuja Master Plan without compromising designated parks and green areas.
The President of REDAN, Oba Akintoye Adeoye, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Adeoye, who is also the paramount ruler of the Okeigbo community in Ondo State, said the FCT Administration should consider redeveloping low-density neighbourhoods into high-rise buildings rather than encroaching on environmentally sensitive areas.
He explained that many cities around the world had accommodated population growth through urban redevelopment while preserving parks and green spaces.
According to him, replacing low-rise buildings with high-rise developments would create additional housing and commercial space without sacrificing critical environmental infrastructure.
Adeoye described parks as legacy assets that play an important role in maintaining ecological balance and improving the quality of urban life.
He argued that destroying green areas would have long-term environmental consequences and should not be considered a sustainable solution to land shortages.
The REDAN president acknowledged that master plans are dynamic planning documents that should be reviewed periodically to respond to changing urban realities.
However, he stressed that any amendments should address emerging development challenges without undermining the environmental principles on which the Abuja Master Plan was originally designed.
Adeoye questioned the rationale for altering designated parks and warned against using land scarcity as justification for converting green spaces into residential or commercial developments.
Instead, he urged the government to expand the city by extending infrastructure such as roads, electricity, water supply, rail and ferry services into undeveloped areas.
He said opening up new districts through strategic infrastructure investments would provide more land for development while preserving Abuja’s parks and environmental heritage.
Adeoye maintained that reviewing the Abuja Master Plan was appropriate where necessary, provided designated green areas remained protected.
The issues
As Abuja’s population continues to grow, pressure on land has intensified, prompting debates over land use and urban expansion. While periodic reviews of master plans are common in growing cities, urban planners and environmental advocates have warned that reducing parks and green areas could undermine environmental sustainability, increase urban heat and reduce residents’ quality of life.
What’s being said
“Parks should be treated as legacy infrastructure, which should not be touched. Your parks are part of your ecosystem.” — Oba Akintoye Adeoye, President, REDAN
“You expand by extending infrastructure to areas that are not yet developed.” — Oba Akintoye Adeoye, President, REDAN
What’s next
REDAN wants the FCT Administration to pursue future reviews of the Abuja Master Plan through urban redevelopment and infrastructure expansion while preserving designated parks and green spaces.
Bottom line
REDAN supports updating the Abuja Master Plan to meet future development needs but insists that urban growth should be achieved through redevelopment and infrastructure expansion rather than sacrificing the city’s environmental assets.
 has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, ..){kind=link}