Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of houses and other structures built on designated waterways and drainage channels across Abuja, warning that properties belonging to senators and other influential Nigerians will not be spared.
Wike issued the directive on Tuesday after inspecting areas affected by the recent flooding in Maitama and other parts of the capital. He directed the FCT Department of Development Control to begin the demolition immediately and continue the exercise through Saturday. The minister said the inspection exposed several developments that had blocked channels designated under the Abuja Master Plan for the movement of stormwater.
“We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men. 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.
“Any house found on the water channel will go down,” Wike said, directing the Development Control Department not to give excuses for failing to enforce the order between Tuesday and Saturday.
Latest Flooding
The order follows torrential rainfall on Saturday, August 15, which triggered flash floods across several parts of Abuja, submerging vehicles, disrupting traffic and affecting residential and commercial areas.
Areas reported to have experienced severe flooding included parts of Wuse 2, Gudu, Lokogoma, Gaduwa and other parts of the capital. The flooding also submerged the bridge linking Gaduwa and Durumi, leaving motorists stranded.
Wike attributed the severity of the flooding to both extreme rainfall and human activities. He identified buildings constructed on waterways, blocked drainage channels, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and the failure of officials to properly desilt drainage infrastructure as factors worsening the problem.
“We have gone there, and we have seen how people have blocked channels where in the master plan, that is the right-of-way where water is supposed to be channelled,” he said
The minister said the structures targeted by the enforcement exercise were not ordinary homes occupied by low-income residents but properties belonging to wealthy Nigerians.
“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,” Wike said, adding that some of the properties had existed for eight to 10 years.
