<P> Abuja ( / əˈbuːdʒə / ) is the capital city of Nigeria located in the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ) . It is a planned city and was built mainly in the 1980s , replacing the country 's most populous city of Lagos as the capital on 12 December 1991 . Abuja 's geography is defined by Aso Rock , a 400 - metre ( 1,300 ft ) monolith left by water erosion . The Presidential Complex , National Assembly , Supreme Court and much of the city extend to the south of the rock . Zuma Rock , a 792 - metre ( 2,598 ft ) monolith , lies just north of the city on the expressway to Kaduna . </P>
<P> Abuja ( / əˈbuːdʒə / ) is the capital city of Nigeria located in the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ) . It is a planned city and was built mainly in the 1980s , replacing the country 's most populous city of Lagos as the capital on 12 December 1991 . Abuja 's geography is defined by Aso Rock , a 400 - metre ( 1,300 ft ) monolith left by water erosion . The Presidential Complex , National Assembly , Supreme Court and much of the city extend to the south of the rock . Zuma Rock , a 792 - metre ( 2,598 ft ) monolith , lies just north of the city on the expressway to Kaduna . </P>
when was abuja became the capital of nigeria
when was abuja became the capital of nigeria
12 December 1991
12 December 1991