He Filmed Abuja Before It Became Abuja: Inside Mark Webster’s Forgotten Footage of Nigeria’s Capital
He Filmed Abuja Before It Became Abuja: Inside Mark Webster’s Forgotten Footage of Nigeria’s Capital
He Filmed Abuja Before It Became Abuja: Inside Mark Webster’s Forgotten Footage of Nigeria’s Capital
Long before Abuja rose into the sleek capital city Nigerians know today, it was a quiet stretch of land marked by open fields, scattered settlements, and early construction sites. Few people documented that moment in history — but one man did.
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Mark Webster, a British journalist, is now believed to be behind the oldest known video footage of Abuja, filmed in the early 1980s, years before the city officially became Nigeria’s capital.
At the time, Webster was working as a foreign correspondent, traveling across Africa to document social and political transitions. His camera captured rare images of Abuja during its formative stage — a visual record that would later become invaluable historical material.
More than 40 years after filming the project, Webster was recently located and interviewed in London for a new documentary exploring Abuja’s transformation. The reunion between journalist and footage has sparked renewed interest in one of Nigeria’s most important urban stories.
Webster reflected on arriving in a region that was still largely undeveloped but filled with ambition. He recalled meeting local residents, construction workers, and officials who spoke about the bold vision to build a new capital from scratch — a city designed to unite Nigeria’s diverse regions.
Today, Abuja stands as a symbol of modern Nigeria, home to government institutions, diplomatic missions, and millions of residents. Yet Webster’s footage reminds viewers that the city’s beginnings were humble, driven by planning, persistence, and hope.
The documentary revisits those early scenes alongside present-day images, creating a powerful contrast between past and present. For many Nigerians, it offers a rare chance to see their capital before highways, skyscrapers, and sprawling districts reshaped the landscape.
Beyond nostalgia, the project highlights the importance of storytelling and archival journalism in preserving national memory. Webster’s work, once nearly forgotten, now serves as a living record of how vision can become reality over time.
More than four decades later, his camera continues to speak — telling the story of a city before it became a capital.
He Filmed Abuja Before It Became Abuja: Inside Mark Webster’s Forgotten Footage of Nigeria’s Capital
