The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched an investigation into the severe flooding recently recorded along the Airport Road axis and in Lokogoma District, Abuja.
The investigation is aimed at determining the causes of the flooding and identifying measures to prevent a recurrence, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, disclosed during a media chat on Tuesday, September 2, 2026.
Wike said a high-level team led by the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Director of Development Control had been dispatched to inspect the affected areas, including Lugbe and Lokogoma.
“When I heard of the incident, the Executive Secretary of the FCDA and the Director, Development Control had to go to the place, not only at the airport road but also in Lokogoma,” the minister stated.
He said the investigation would establish whether the flooding was caused by human activities or natural factors.
“The one that is man-made, we can solve the problem; the one that is natural, there is nothing we can do—it becomes a natural disaster. So, it’s something that we have to investigate,” he added.
The minister said preliminary findings indicated that years of violations of the Abuja masterplan may have contributed to the flooding, particularly in Lugbe, where he alleged that structures had been erected without proper approvals.
Wike vowed to enforce the FCT masterplan and remove structures found to be obstructing waterways or occupying designated road corridors.
“From our studies, Lugbe has always been violating the Abuja masterplan… All over the years, you see people building without approval and blocking where is supposed to be a roadway. As an administration, we are not taking it lightly,” he said.
He further disclosed that the administration had begun taking disciplinary measures against government officials accused of facilitating illegal developments on green areas and waterways.
According to the minister, a government director was recently suspended for allegedly issuing unauthorised temporary approvals to commercial operators on designated green zones, while another official was sanctioned for allegedly reallocating park lands under the guise of security clearing.
Wike also rejected claims that government approvals should protect structures built in areas designated as green zones or waterways.
“You got approval to do something wrong… sometimes, it’s under influence. Government policy is that nobody should do anything on green areas. Now you go with the spirit that nothing will happen, and then when we come to enforce, you say you have approval. It is not going to be accepted,” he said.
The minister also gave an update on infrastructure projects across the FCT, saying the administration was committed to completing ongoing projects before the end of its tenure.
He said 76 of the 107 road projects awarded under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in the FCT had been completed, with another 10 expected to be completed ahead of the forthcoming elections.
Wike added that 23 of the 25 projects inherited from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had been completed, alongside six of the eight projects inherited from the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
He also said the administration had addressed some long-abandoned projects dating back to the Olusegun Obasanjo era.
“For the first time in the history of the FCT since 1999, no administration has awarded that number of projects and completed them,” Wike affirmed.
He pointed to the revival of the Abuja rail mass transit system and expansion of the FCT road network as examples of the administration’s infrastructure efforts.
Wike also defended the Federal Government’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the increased allocations to states and local governments should translate into improved services and infrastructure.
He challenged state and local governments to account for how they had utilised the additional resources available to them following the reforms.
Commenting on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recent position on fuel subsidy, Wike said:
“All you should have asked was: having removed subsidy, what did you do with the gains of it? The government has come to say the gains were shared among the subnational governments. Today, the states are paying salaries and pensions unlike before… Today, I can go on with projects… Today, the universities are going on without strikes…Having done that, it is now for states to account for what they have done with the money.”
The minister also paid tribute to his late political associate, Chief Dan Orbih, describing him as a principled politician who remained firm despite political pressure.
“Dan Orbih stood very firm in spite of pressure. That’s why I tell people that if you really know what you are doing and you are committed, no amount of pressure can sway you,” Wike said.
He recalled visiting Orbih at the London Clinic during his illness.
“Before he died, he came to see me and informed me that he would be travelling for medical reasons… I went to the London Clinic to see him and I never thought that this will happen. We cannot question God, but I don’t know whether I can really recover from it.”
Wike also spoke about his political activities in Rivers State, saying he remained engaged with his grassroots supporters and was working to maintain political stability in the state.
He said major political actors in Rivers State had come together under a “Rainbow Coalition” in support of President Tinubu’s administration, while dismissing the possibility of a strong, united opposition ahead of future elections.
