 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.