The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has directed the immediate removal of buildings erected on designated waterways across Abuja as part of measures to address recurring flooding in the capital.
Wike issued the order on Tuesday after inspecting flood-affected locations in Maitama and other parts of the FCT, where he assessed the impact of recent rainfall and identified structures and blocked drainage routes contributing to the problem.
According to the minister, the demolition exercise will commence immediately and run through Saturday. He said the enforcement would proceed regardless of political activities or the identities and status of property owners.
“We will pull down every house built on the water channels, regardless of who owns them. Some of the affected properties belong to senators and other influential people, but the law will apply to everyone,” Wike said.
He explained that several developments had been erected along waterways reserved in the Abuja Master Plan to provide routes for stormwater, thereby restricting the natural movement of floodwater.
Wike said an inspection of affected communities revealed that some property owners had obstructed channels specifically designated for water passage.
“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.
The minister noted that a significant number of the properties involved belonged to affluent Nigerians and had remained in place for years despite violating planning requirements.
“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.
He disclosed that some of the unauthorised developments had existed for between eight and 10 years, indicating that earlier administrations may have lacked the political resolve to enforce the relevant planning regulations.
Wike, however, said the present FCT Administration would not allow the age of an illegal structure, the influence of its owner or prevailing political circumstances to prevent enforcement.
He warned those who doubted the government’s willingness to act decisively against violations of Abuja’s planning laws.
“If there is one minister that has that political will, I have. I have the political will.”
Beyond the demolition of structures, Wike directed the relevant FCT authorities to begin immediate desilting of drainage channels identified as contributing to flooding.
He also appealed to residents, traders and other members of the public to stop disposing of refuse in drains, warning that indiscriminate waste disposal could obstruct water flow and aggravate flooding.
The minister said the situation should not be politicised, arguing that flooding is a natural occurrence that has affected major urban centres globally.
While acknowledging the role of climate change and unusually intense rainfall, Wike maintained that human activities had significantly compounded the flooding challenge in Abuja.
“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,” he said.
He said the enforcement operation would continue despite the possibility of political criticism during the election season and instructed the FCT Development Control Department to proceed without delay.
Wike further reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to preserving designated green areas and enforcing Abuja’s planning regulations, stressing that illegal developments would not be protected simply because they had remained undisturbed for years.
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