The Federal Government on Wednesday said it cannot contain the exploding population in the Federal Capital Territory.
Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, who disclosed this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents after the week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, however, said the regime was working to manage the situation.
According to him, stopping the FCT’s population increase is not probable because of the nature of the city and the purpose it serves.
He explained that the rising population situation is simply a trend in urbanisation, which is a global phenomenon.
Bello further noted that the regime is doing everything to manage the crowd by strengthening institutions and increasing infrastructure to meet the needs of the city.
He said: “Urbanisation is a reality that we cannot reverse, it’s a worldwide phenomenon and urbanisation will continue.
“As a matter of fact, it has been projected that by 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, Abuja is no exception.
“It has served as a magnet because it’s the centre of government, it’s secure, it’s peaceful, it’s in the centre of the country and it provides a tremendous amount of opportunities for young people. So, this will continue.
“But it’s something that we are trying to manage. How do we manage it? We are strengthening our institutions, increasing infrastructure within the available resources, but with urbanisation and movement of people, obviously, crime also increases; the need to handle urban waste increases, and so many other things.”
