The desecration of the Three Arms Zone
for Land Use change starts with the Town Planners making the design. A Town Planner that would design this so-called revised plan for the Three Arms Zone, whether from the URP Department or the AGIS violated the ethics of his profession and shall be liable to sanctioning for unprofessional conduct according to Section 13 of the TOPREC Decree No. 3 of 1988. It is the president that shall grant the approval for any change of land use in Abuja, more so that it involves a very high profile and security area as the Three Arms Zone.
The FCT Administration is to guide the presidency. If it actually submitted a memo for the approval of the president based on any design for the conversion of a portion of the Three Arms Zone for Residential, Commercial and Petroleum Filling Station use as it appears in this revised plan, it has done a very grave disservice to this nation. But, if it is yet to, because we are yet to hear such information as usual from the FEC meetings, we advise it desists, otherwise it shall be unpatriotic.
If such a zone which should be highly protected as explained in the Kenzo-Tange Central Area Urban Design document could be violated, the wider implication is that there is nowhere in the whole of the city that shall be safe. For the Development Control Department that is saddled with the protection of the City Land Use plan, we wish to stress that under no circumstances should it approve of any development within this zone for any other use. Any attempt to do so is akin to reneging on its statutory mandate.