Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has ordered the immediate demolition of buildings found to be obstructing designated waterways in Maitama and other flood-prone parts of Abuja.
Wike issued the directive on Tuesday after inspecting areas affected by recent flooding in Maitama, warning that enforcement would begin immediately and continue through Saturday.
The minister said the exercise would not be suspended because of ongoing political activities or the identity of the property owners. He stressed that every structure found to have been built on designated water channels would be affected.
According to Wike, some of the properties belong to influential Nigerians, including serving senators, but their status would not prevent the government from enforcing planning regulations.
“We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men,” he said.
The FCT minister said recent flooding had exposed several human activities that were worsening the impact of heavy rainfall across Abuja.
Among the factors identified were the construction of buildings on waterways, obstruction of drainage channels, indiscriminate waste disposal, development in areas not approved for construction and inadequate maintenance of drainage infrastructure.
Wike said inspections of affected locations revealed that some property owners had blocked channels designated in the Abuja Master Plan for the movement of stormwater.
He noted that many of the affected buildings had existed for several years and were largely owned by wealthy individuals.
“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.
The minister suggested that previous administrations may have lacked the political will to enforce development regulations, while some officials may also have failed to properly perform their duties.
He, however, insisted that the current administration would not hesitate to take action.
“And let nobody make the mistake that this government lacks the political will to do anything,” Wike said.
He also rejected suggestions that the flooding was being used as a political issue, arguing that floods occur naturally in major cities but can be worsened by human activities.
According to him, climate change and the unusually heavy rainfall experienced recently may have contributed to the situation, but man-made factors remained a major concern.
Wike subsequently directed relevant FCT agencies to begin immediate desilting of identified drainage channels and called on residents, traders and other members of the public to stop dumping refuse into waterways.
He also warned against the conversion of Abuja’s designated green areas for other purposes, saying the administration would continue to protect the capital’s environmental and planning assets.
The minister dismissed criticism from political commentators over the administration’s response to the flooding, saying he would remain focused on addressing problems in the FCT.
Wike also defended the administration’s performance over the past three years, saying significant progress had been made despite the challenges that remained.
He cited the processing and signing of 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy within the period, compared with about 7,000 reportedly signed by two previous administrations over 13 years.
On the planned demolitions, Wike said enforcement would not be delayed because of the political season or concerns over the identities of property owners.
“Any house that’s found on the water channel will go down,” he said.
He further directed the FCT Development Control Department to commence the exercise without delay, warning officials against using excuses to postpone the demolitions.
Wike maintained that the administration would continue enforcing Abuja’s development regulations regardless of how long an illegal structure had existed.
He said the government’s priority was to address problems affecting residents and ensure that planning and environmental regulations were respected across the Federal Capital Territory.
