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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), residents and informal economy workers has called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to make public the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with private investors for the redevelopment of Jabi Lake Park.
The coalition, comprising Accountability Lab Nigeria, the Federation of Informal Workers Organisation of Nigeria (FIWON), the Solidarity Centre, residents and informal workers, made the demand yesterday during a protest in Abuja, where it also submitted a petition to the FCT minister and relevant committees of the National Assembly.
Addressing journalists, the Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh, said the coalition was not opposed to the redevelopment of Jabi Lake Park but insisted that the process must be transparent, inclusive and in the public interest.
He said the coalition was demanding the immediate publication of the MoU, land ownership documents and other agreements relating to the project to enable Nigerians scrutinise the process.
“We are not against development, but the process must be transparent. Nigerians have a right to know and the people who have used this park for years deserve to be consulted,” Odeh said.
He recalled that Jabi Lake Park was commissioned in 2007 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a public recreational facility and has remained one of Abuja’s few freely accessible public spaces.
Odeh alleged that the FCTA signed an MoU with private firms in February 2026 to transform the waterfront into a luxury tourism destination, but noted that the agreement had not been made available to the public.
He also alleged that the redevelopment had led to the displacement of street vendors, traders, artisans, transport workers and waste pickers, many of whom, he said, received little or no notice and were not compensated.
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The coalition is, therefore, demanding that construction activities be suspended pending the publication of the MoU and other relevant documents, as well as the release of an independent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project.
It is also calling for meaningful public consultation, compensation and resettlement of displaced informal workers and assurances that the redeveloped park would remain freely or affordably accessible to the public.
Odeh questioned the procurement process that led to the allocation of the land, saying it was unclear whether the requirements of the Public Procurement Act, including competitive bidding, had been followed.
He accused the FCTA of failing to respond to several Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted by the coalition seeking documents relating to the redevelopment.
The Accountability Lab Nigeria Country Director further disclosed that the coalition had petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), requesting investigations into the procurement process surrounding the project.
“Petitions have also been submitted to the FCT minister and relevant committees of the National Assembly, urging legislative intervention,” he said.
He warned that if the requested documents were not released and the coalition’s concerns remained unaddressed, it would seek judicial intervention to compel disclosure and determine whether due process was followed in the redevelopment of Jabi Lake Park.
He maintained that the controversy surrounding the project extends beyond physical redevelopment, describing it as a test of transparency, accountability and the protection of livelihoods in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
