<P> Abuja is Nigeria's administrative and political centre . It is also a key capital on the African continent due to Nigeria's geo - political influence in regional affairs . Abuja is also a conference centre and hosts various meetings annually, such as the 2003 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting and the 2014 World Economic Forum (Africa) meetings . </P> <P> "Abuja" was in the earlier 20th century the name of the nearby town now called Suleja . </P> <P> The indigenous inhabitants of Abuja are the Gbagyi (Gwari) as the major language, Bassa, Gwandara, Gade, Ganagana, Koro etc . In light of the ethnic and religious divisions of Nigeria, plans had been devised since Nigeria's independence to have its capital in a place deemed neutral to all major ethnic parties, and also in close proximity to all the regions of Nigeria . The location was eventually designated in the centre of the country in the early 1970s as it signified neutrality and national unity . Another impetus for Abuja came because of Lagos' population boom that made that city overcrowded and conditions squalid . As Lagos was already undergoing rapid economic development, the Nigerian regime felt the need to expand the economy towards the inner part of the country, and hence decided to move its capital to Abuja . The logic used was similar to the way Brazil planned its capital, Brasília . The decision to move to Abuja was made by General Murtala Mohammed in 1976 . Construction started in the late 1970s but, due to economic and political instability, the initial stages of the city were not complete until the late 1980s . </P> <P> The master plan for Abuja and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was developed by International Planning Associates (IPA), a consortium of three American firms: Planning Research Corporation; Wallace, McHarg, Roberts and Todd; and Archisystems, a division of the Hughes Organization . The master plan for Abuja defined the general structure and major design elements of the city that are visible in its current form . More detailed design of the central areas of the capital, particularly its monumental core, was accomplished by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, with his team of city planners at Kenzo Tange and Urtec company . </P>

Who moved nigeria capital from lagos to abuja