MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of buildings obstructing designated waterways in Maitama and other flood-prone parts of Abuja, declaring that no property owner, regardless of social or political status, will be spared.
News Point Nigeria reports that the directive followed an inspection tour by the minister on Tuesday, coming after several mansions in Maitama Extension were submerged by flood over the weekend amid concerns over indiscriminate construction along waterways and blocked drainage channels.
This newspaper had reported how several mansions in Maitama Extension in Abuja were submerged by flood over the weekend, with residents attributing the development to indiscriminate construction along waterways as well as blocked drainage channels in the area.
Sources told our correspondent that the flooding worsened after a major canal was covered to make way for the construction of buildings linked to a senator.
The buildings were said to have been constructed on a green area and the canal corridor.
Following his inspection of the affected areas on Tuesday, Wike directed the FCT Development Control Department to commence the demolition immediately and continue the exercise through Saturday.
He said the enforcement would apply to all structures found to have been built on designated water channels, irrespective of the owners’ social, political or economic status.
“Any house that’s found on the water channel will go down. We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators and ministers. Some of them are big men,” Wike said.
“Whether there’s election or there’s no election, all those houses will go down. Heaven will not fall. Rather, heaven will be at peace that the right thing has been done.”
The minister insisted that political activities or the status of property owners would not stop the enforcement, declaring that the FCT Administration had the political will to remove structures obstructing waterways.
According to Wike, the recent flooding had exposed several human activities worsening the impact of flooding in the nation’s capital.
He listed some of the factors as construction on waterways, blocked drainage channels, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and inadequate maintenance of drainage infrastructure.
Wike said inspections showed that some property owners had built directly on channels designated in the Abuja Master Plan for stormwater.
“Unfortunately, we have gone there, and we have seen how people have blocked channels where, in the Master Plan, that is the right way where the water is supposed to be channelled,” he said.
He noted that many of the affected properties had existed for years and were largely owned by wealthy Nigerians, arguing that the government could no longer allow social status to shield illegal developments from enforcement.
Wike also directed relevant FCT authorities to commence the immediate desilting of identified drainage systems.
He further urged residents and traders to stop dumping waste into waterways, stressing that such practices contribute significantly to the worsening flooding situation.
The minister acknowledged that climate change and unusually heavy rainfall had contributed to the flooding but maintained that human activities had significantly worsened its impact.
“Flood could be a natural disaster,” Wike said, while stressing that there were also “man-made factors” contributing to the situation.
The FCT Administration’s latest directive signals a renewed enforcement drive against structures obstructing Abuja’s planned drainage and stormwater channels, with Wike insisting that the government would proceed with demolitions regardless of who owns the affected properties.