The relocation of Nigeria's Federal Capital: A device for greater territorial integration and national unity

As an important feature in the political geography of a country, the location of the capital of a state is of great significance especially as any geographical forces which have affected the political history of a country reach their most intensive expression in the choice of site for the development of the capital city. The decision to relocate it is usually an exceedingly tough one to make and difficult to follow up. In the post-colonial era, Nigeria like many newly independent African States inherited a capital which is central in respect of international trade but eccentric in relation to the country's administrative and cultural hinterlands. Lagos is a typical example. Although the city continues to function as the federal capital, a new site has been selected for its relocation prompted by administrative and political considerations, physical limitations, and the numerous problems resulting from excessive concentration of the nation's resource there. It is hoped that the new site in the country's geometric centre will bring a long-dormant region into effective settlement by spurring a central migration that will open new agricultural frontiers, create a more equitable distribution of population and above all foster the growth of a core region in and around which the state idea could develop.