Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of houses and other structures built on waterways in Abuja as the capital grapples with flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
Wike issued the directive on Tuesday, August 18, after inspecting areas affected by flooding in Maitama.
He said the demolition would begin immediately and continue until Saturday, insisting that neither political considerations nor the status of property owners would prevent the enforcement of development regulations.
“We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators. 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 said the recent flooding had exposed the extent to which human activities were contributing to the problem in Abuja.
He identified the construction of buildings on waterways, blocked drainage channels, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and inadequate supervision of developments as major factors aggravating flooding in the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Wike, an inspection of some affected areas showed that property owners had blocked channels designated in Abuja’s masterplan for the movement of stormwater.
“Unfortunately, we have gone there, and we have seen how people have blocked channels where, in the masterplan, that is the right way where the water is supposed to be channelled,” he said.
Wike said many of the properties obstructing waterways belonged to wealthy Nigerians and had been standing for years.
He said the FCT Administration would enforce planning regulations regardless of the influence or social standing of the property owners.
“All those built-up areas that were not supposed to be built up, not a single poor person will live there. Those houses are houses built by well-to-do Nigerians,” he said.
“Those houses are not houses that were built last week. Those houses have been there 10 years ago, eight years ago.”
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The minister suggested that previous administrations may have lacked the political will to enforce development regulations, while some officials may also have failed to carry out their responsibilities.
He, however, said the current administration was prepared to take action.
“And let nobody make the mistake that this government lacks the political will to do anything. The person must be making a very big mistake,” Wike said.
“If there is one minister that has that political will, I have. I have the political will.”
Wike also ordered relevant FCT authorities to commence immediate desilting of identified drainage systems as part of efforts to improve the flow of stormwater.
He acknowledged that the unusual intensity of recent rainfall could be linked partly to climate change and natural factors, but said human activities had also played a significant role in worsening the flooding.
“We are in a climate change period. The kind of rains we have experienced, or we are experiencing now, we have not experienced before. But that is not that there are no man-made factors. There are,” the minister said.
The directive came amid criticism of the FCT Administration’s handling of the flooding.
On Monday, Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the FCT, said in an interview on Arise TV that she had warned about the risk of flooding in Abuja before the recent downpour but alleged that her concerns were ignored by Wike.
Wike dismissed the criticism, saying he would not allow political arguments to distract him from addressing the problems facing the capital.
“I don’t want to reply to political commentators. I don’t want to reply to people who think that appearing on TV, in their houses, will give them an edge to win an election that they have lost. No,” he said.
“Nobody can diminish what this administration has done in the past three years. Nobody can diminish it.
“This administration has done very well as far as the Federal Capital Territory is concerned. That does not mean that I can claim that it has solved all problems, no. Are there problems? Yes. Have they solved major problems? Yes. Will they continue to solve problems? Yes.”
Wike also urged residents, traders and other members of the public to stop dumping refuse into drainage channels, warning that blocked waterways could further worsen flooding across Abuja.