Abuja Residents Kick as Hospital Plot in Wuye Becomes Private Housing Estate

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has converted a large parcel of land originally designated for the construction of a hospital in Wuye District, Abuja, into a private residential estate, triggering concerns among residents and urban planning experts.

The land, identified as Plot 546, Cadastral Zone B03, Wuye District, covers about 3.171 hectares and was originally reserved in the Abuja Master Plan for a district hospital. However, the plot has now been allocated to Full Moon Estate Developers Ltd for residential development.

Located opposite the Wuye Ultra-Modern Market and beside the Wuye Police Station, the site has already been fenced with barbed wire, while construction activities are ongoing.

Project details displayed on the site show the title as “Residential Development,” with approval dated March 5, 2026, under file number FCDA/DC/BP/RSD/PHSII/31854.

Residents of Wuye expressed disappointment over the conversion, saying they had expected the long-awaited district health centre to be built on the site.

A resident, Ahmed Usman, said he initially believed the fencing signaled the commencement of the promised hospital project, only to later discover it had been reassigned for private housing.

Another resident, Okonkwo Ferdinand, described the move as insensitive and urged the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to restore the land to its original purpose.

Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, condemned the development, describing it as “land corruption” and a violation of the Abuja Master Plan.

According to him, land clearly marked for public use should not be diverted for private interests, especially when it concerns critical infrastructure like healthcare.

A former Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Umar Shuaibu, also described the action as both a breach of the master plan and “a violation of humanity.”

He stressed that district hospitals are strategically planned based on population needs and warned that replacing such facilities with luxury housing would deny thousands of residents access to affordable healthcare.

Responding to the controversy, Acting Director of FCT Development Control, Bashir Madaki Sanusi, confirmed that the land was originally designated for a health centre.

He explained that his department approved the private estate project after receiving official communication from the Urban and Regional Planning Department of the Federal Capital Development Authority indicating that the land had been re-designated for residential use with ministerial approval.

Sanusi said concerns raised over the project have now led to a stop-work order and a fresh verification process to confirm the legality of the land use change.

He added that the final decision on the project would depend on the outcome of the verification by the relevant planning authorities.