ABSTRACT
What are the sources for this study of architecture and politics in Abuja, Nigeria? Some of the most important sources for this book are the Nigerian government’s laws and bulletins on the creation of the new capital, Nigerian newspapers, TV broadcasts, popular magazines, pamphlets, and printed material that carried information about building a capital city in the country during the mid-1970s. Moreover, I interviewed the designers and recorded their thoughts. The information the designers provided were studied, cited, critiqued, and verified with other sources. The diagrams, figures, maps, memos, plans, photographs, and sketches by the various designers were examined carefully and elucidated. Together all the sources demonstrate the Nigerian Federal Government’s (FGN) migration from the coastal city of Lagos to the middle belt of Nigeria where the new capital is located. Nigerian military leaders wanted to build a new capital city to alleviate overcrowding in the metropolis that was serving several functions. Besides being one of the twelve states of Nigeria, Lagos was the administrative capital of the State of Lagos, the national capital of Nigeria, and the commercial hub of the country (Mabogunje 1968, Peil 1991, Godwin and Hopwood 2012, Koolhaas et al. 2001, van der Haak [director] and Koolhaas 2005, Bigon 2009). For that reason, it is crucial to provide information on the Nigerian government’s views on Lagos and the establishment of a new capital.
