ABSTRACT
By 1997, Abuja had evolved from a conceptual framework on the drafting board to an urban center with its own identity and memorable impressions. I was walking around the Central Area when I noticed that construction had stopped at the National Cathedral, which was started about the same time that construction began on the National Mosque in the mid-1980s (Figure 8.4 to 8.6). While the National Mosque had been completed, the National Cathedral remained unfinished. Something that appeared like a broken or an uncompleted church steeple was visible from the distance; I left the road and I began to walk towards it. Grass and shrubs were overgrowing the once booming construction site where the unfinished church building is located. Upon arrival, I discovered that the site had been fenced up. I began to take photos of discernable fragments over the fence and signposts describing the project. On top of one of the signboards, DarchiWork Group was listed as the architect planners and project developers, but on another board, the French construction giant, Bouygues, was listed as the contractor. Just before I took the last shots and began to walk away, I noticed a blue Peugeot station wagon galloping towards me over the grasses. From the color of the vehicle, I recognized the agency that the driver and the passengers worked for immediately: the infamous Mobile Police whom Nigerians dubbed MAPO. Holding the camera with one hand, I raised my hands up, stood still, and tried to breathe deeply. The car pulled adjacent to me, two men hopped out of the middle seat, one of them took the camera from my hand, and the other took the bag containing the lenses and films.
