Again, they forgot Abuja’s birthday
By Guardian Exclusive
08 February 2020 |
7:44 pm
On 3 February 1976, military head of state Murtala Mohammed announced that Nigeria’s Federal Capital would in the future move to a location in the central part of the country.
That location was Abuja. But today, as has been the case for some years now, nobody in government remembers to mark the date.
The multi-award-winning columnist and Executive Head of The Guardian's Editorial Board, Martins Oloja, takes an analytical look at this issue in the latest instalment of ‘Inside Stuff.’
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