Though President Magufuli was receiving the party button from former party Chairman Jakaya Kikwete, perhaps this was the right place for him to make the radical move and the bold stand.
This very protracted project that Tanzanians are no longer talking about was first pronounced by a CCN Central Committee in 1973 in Dodoma.
Father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere then took the initiative to make it a government project in 1974, and had in plan until the 1990s, a period of 16 years, to have the capital moved from Dares Salaam to Dodoma.
But, alas! What ensued thereafter? The entire project has remained furlough despite a lot of money having been spent to design, put up some initial works, building up the infrastructure and even shifting some of the government offices there.
For example, the Parliament building is there since the 1990s, CCM headquarters offices have been there since the 1970s and even the Prime Minister’s Office was there since the 1980s.
Nevertheless, it is not known why there has been a state of inertia when it comes to shifting to the designated capital from Dar es Salaam.
Nigeria and Pakistan were during the same period the decision was made, working on similar projects and studies made in these countries on shifting Lagos to Abuja and Rawalpindi to Islamabad, respectively, were made use of in designing Tanzania’s new capital of Dodoma.
Sadly, Nigeria shifted its capital from Lagos to Abuja in 1991, while Pakistan moved its government headquarters from Rawalpindi to Islamabad in 1967, exactly 20 years after that country's independence.
It is depressing to learn that while we were working with these countries on similar projects and more or less during the same time, we have overly leapt to sluggishness as our colleagues ran to their new capitals.
After all what is difficult about shifting from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma? If government officials look at the designated capital as devoid of modern facilities or availability of services, they should be rest assured that Dodoma is far better serviced than Dar es Salaam when it comes to discharging government activities given the structures of the two urban entities and prevailing technology.
With well over 21 wells 14 of which are reserved, Dodoma is most supplied with safe and uninterrupted water services than any capital in Africa.
Even though, geographically, Dodoma is better placed as a regional capital than the Tanzanian capital in that other nearby capitals such as Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali, Lusaka, Bujumbura and even Blantyre are within a short reach than Dar es Salaam.
Nay more, it is less costly in terms of time and money when you consider transport services. Imagine how difficult it costs a government official to travel from office to Julius Nyerere international Airport (JNIA) to receive a guest from, let us say South Africa.
Some people say it costs the same time the guest spends to travel by plane from Oliver Tambo International Airport (OTIA) to JNIA. Is this really economical? In Dodoma, this wouldn’t happened.
There are many disadvantages to have Dar es Salaam as both commercial capital and national capital. One is that most development activities are heaped up in this area at the expense of other parts of the country.
For example, Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) data show that over 75 per cent of the investments monitored by this centre remain in Dar es Salaam while 15 per cent to 20 go to Arusha and Mwanza.
It is obvious that with such an arrangement, no meaningful development can be brought about in the country.
Things ought to change: Let Dar remain the commercial capital and the administrative capital go to Dodoma—as quickly as possible, and the rest would follow.
After all given the present circumstances, it is easier to shift to Dodoma, than to stay in Dar.
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