ABUJA CITY GATE

Yes, last year I actually called out Julius Berger PLC and the Nigerian Government for the poor design of the Abuja City Gate. I viewed the design as just a standing painted white concrete block.

It was only during one of the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike’s, media chats that I learned the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, had called the FCT Minister about the need for remodelling the City Gate.

I felt happy that I am not mad or speaking out of place for content. I felt good that a person of that calibre also shared my view that the City Gate design was not befitting Abuja’s entrance.

I remember Julius Berger PLC published a post on their Facebook page some days later, claiming how people love the City Gate and how it represents Nigeria’s pride and culture. I wanted to reply, but out of respect for the great company and their contribution to our nation’s development, I kept mute and waited peacefully to see what the remodelling would turn out, since the First Lady had requested it and the capable FCT Minister is overseeing the process.

Looking at the remodelling today, yes it is beautiful, but I think lighting and a waterfall feel outdated in 2026. I mean, China built a skyscraper with a massive waterfall feature. History has shown this kind of design does not last in Nigeria, Unity Fountain is a case study. So we are going to be spending billions on maintenance contracts. That is why our streets still have 1970s cobblestone pavements and roads where scavengers are removing the iron rods. One of the good laughs Kenyans, South Africans, and even Ethiopians have at us is that Nigeria has poor structural building designs.

I want to specially thank the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the FCT Minister, and to some extent Julius Berger PLC, for the lovely remodelling of the Abuja City Gate.

Please don’t see this post as criticism. I am pointing fingers at Nigerians generally, including myself, and our partner contractors to do better in futuristic designs that can last centuries like the Eiffel Tower in France and the Statue of Liberty in New York, which is considered one of the wonders of the world.

Oyugbo JONAH Osagie 

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