The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of buildings obstructing designated waterways in Maitama and other flood-prone parts of Abuja.
Wike gave the directive on Tuesday after inspecting areas affected by recent flooding in Maitama, directing the FCT Development Control Department to begin the demolition immediately and continue through Saturday.
He said the exercise would apply to all structures found to have been built on designated water channels, regardless of the owners’ social or political status.
“We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men,” Wike said.
He insisted that political activities or the status of property owners would not stop enforcement, declaring that the government had the political will to remove structures obstructing waterways.
According to the minister, the recent flooding exposed several human activities worsening flooding in the nation’s capital, including 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 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 immediate desilting of identified drainage systems and urged residents and traders to stop dumping waste into waterways.
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,” he said, while stressing that there were also “man-made factors” contributing to the situation.
Wike dismissed suggestions that the demolition order was politically motivated because of the ongoing election season, saying enforcement of planning regulations could not be suspended because of political activities.
He also rejected criticism of the FCT Administration’s response to the flooding, saying the government would remain focused on addressing problems in the capital.
The minister further disclosed that 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy had been signed during the past three years, compared with about 7,000 issued by two previous administrations over 13 years.
He said the administration would continue enforcing planning and environmental regulations, including the protection of designated green areas.
Wike directed the Development Control Department not to delay the demolition of any structure confirmed to be obstructing a water channel.
“Any house that’s found on the water channel will go down,” he said.
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