Breaking: Wike orders demolition of Abuja houses blocking waterways

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of houses and other structures obstructing waterways in Maitama and other flood-prone areas of Abuja following the latest flooding that disrupted activities across parts of the nation’s capital.

Wike gave the directive on Tuesday after inspecting areas affected by the flooding in Maitama, where heavy rainfall left residents stranded and vehicles submerged. Blueprint reports

The minister directed relevant agencies of the FCT Administration to commence the demolition immediately and continue the exercise until Saturday, insisting that neither ongoing political activities nor the identities and status of property owners should stand in the way of enforcing measures designed to protect lives and property.

The development comes amid renewed concerns over Abuja’s drainage infrastructure, rapid urbanisation and the alleged construction of buildings inside or around natural waterways.

The issue has also triggered fresh criticism from Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory in the National Assembly.

Kingibe said she had repeatedly raised concerns about flooding, blocked drainage channels and the erosion of green areas in Abuja, but alleged that her warnings and correspondence to the FCT minister were ignored.

Wike orders immediate demolition

Following his inspection of the flood-affected areas, Wike directed that structures found to be obstructing waterways should be removed.

The minister said the government could no longer allow buildings and other structures to interfere with the natural flow of stormwater while residents remained exposed to flooding.

He ordered the enforcement exercise to begin immediately and continue until Saturday.

The directive covers Maitama and other flood-prone areas where structures are identified as obstructing natural waterways or drainage channels.

Wike also made it clear that the exercise should not be affected by political considerations or the status of the owners of affected properties.

The move is expected to see officials of the FCT Administration identify and remove structures considered to be contributing to the obstruction of waterways and worsening flooding.

Flooding leaves Abuja residents stranded

The demolition order followed heavy rainfall that caused flooding in several parts of Abuja over the weekend.

Residents were left stranded in some locations, while several vehicles were submerged by floodwaters.

The flooding has once again exposed concerns over the city’s drainage infrastructure and the increasing pressure placed on Abuja’s natural waterways by rapid development.

For residents, the immediate concern is the destruction and disruption caused by flooding.

But beyond the immediate impact, the latest incident has reignited questions about urban planning, development approvals and whether sufficient attention is being paid to natural drainage corridors as the capital continues to expand.

Kingibe: I warned about flooding

Amid the latest government action, Senator Kingibe said she had raised concerns about the potential for flooding in Abuja long before the latest incident.

Speaking on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme on Monday, Kingibe said she had repeatedly drawn the attention of relevant authorities to the issue.

She said her concerns about the erosion of Abuja’s green areas and the potential consequences for flooding dated back to December, adding that she had also complained about the issue about a year earlier.

According to her, she contacted the head of Development Control when she first assumed office as senator to raise concerns about developments taking place in areas that could affect drainage and flooding.

Kingibe recalled that one of the first major flooding incidents she encountered after becoming senator occurred in Lugbe.

“As an engineer, I could see the potential. When I first became a senator, Lugbe flooded very badly. I went and looked at the flood channels and some of them even had houses inside them. That’s scary. So, somebody must have given approval,” she said.

The senator said the discovery raised questions about how structures could have been allowed inside flood channels in the first place.

‘It’s not personal to Wike’

Kingibe stressed that her criticism was not motivated by a personal disagreement with Wike or political differences.

She said she had always believed that elected officials and ministers should work together regardless of their political affiliations in the interest of residents.

“From the beginning, I’ve always said there has been no reason for there to be political conflict on my part,” she said, adding that she was accustomed to a situation where senators and ministers from different political parties worked together for the benefit of Abuja residents.

According to Kingibe, her interventions were driven by her responsibility to constituents whenever policies or developments affected their welfare.

“It’s not personal to the minister. It’s just that everything that impacts negatively on my constituents, I need to take it up with somebody, and he’s the person who is giving the direct approval for some of these things,” she said.

Senator says she reduced criticism

Kingibe also said she deliberately reduced her public criticism of the minister in an attempt to encourage greater cooperation between both offices.

She said the approach was intended to create an atmosphere in which she and the FCT Administration could work together in the interest of Abuja residents.

However, according to her, the strategy did not produce the desired result.

“As I have said in some of my videos, I even tried to be less publicly critical of him to see if that would make him work with me in a manner that’s in the best interest of the constituents. Nothing works,” she said.

Kingibe added that her concern was not about being silenced or winning a political argument, but about ensuring that the people who elected her were protected.

Letter to FCDA

The senator said she had also written to the Federal Capital Development Authority seeking clarification on what the agency intended to do about flooding and related infrastructure concerns.

She explained that the letter did not prescribe specific measures such as demolition of buildings or an audit of drainage infrastructure.

Rather, she said, she asked the agency to identify the problems and explain the immediate steps it planned to take to address them.

Kingibe said she expected the agency to respond to her letter because she wanted to understand the government’s plans and hold the relevant institutions accountable.

She alleged, however, that correspondence directed to Wike had not received responses.

“That’s why I don’t bother to write to him, because he never responds,” she said.

She added that the Senate Committee on the FCT had an oversight responsibility over agencies involved in the administration and development of the capital.

Wike’s development drive

The latest flooding and demolition directive come against the backdrop of an extensive infrastructure programme embarked upon by the Wike administration since he assumed office as FCT minister.

The administration has prioritised road construction and rehabilitation, bridges, interchanges, water projects, public buildings and the opening up of several districts and satellite communities.

Wike has repeatedly defended the pace of infrastructure development in the FCT, arguing that Abuja had suffered from years of abandoned projects and inadequate infrastructure.

The administration has also expanded its infrastructure focus beyond the city centre to satellite towns and the six Area Councils.

Several roads and water projects have either been completed, commissioned or placed at various stages of construction under the administration.

Wike has maintained that improving roads and water infrastructure in rural communities is important not only for development but also for reducing insecurity and improving access to farms, markets and other economic opportunities.

The administration has also undertaken major road projects in and around the city centre, while efforts have been made to rehabilitate existing infrastructure and improve connectivity between districts.

Development raises planning questions

Despite the infrastructure drive, the latest flooding has renewed questions about how development is being regulated across the FCT.

The controversy is not simply about whether buildings should be demolished after flooding occurs. It also raises questions about how structures allegedly found inside waterways were approved in the first place.

Kingibe’s comments are particularly significant in this regard.

Her account that she found houses inside flood channels in Lugbe and questioned how such developments received approval puts the spotlight on the agencies responsible for planning, development control and enforcement.

The issue also raises the question of whether enforcement should focus only on property owners or also examine the approval process that allowed potentially problematic developments to emerge.

For the Wike administration, however, the immediate priority appears to be removing structures that are currently obstructing waterways and reducing the risk of further flooding.

Bigger test for FCT authorities

The latest demolition order could therefore become an important test of the administration’s approach to urban planning and development control.

While the removal of structures blocking waterways may improve stormwater flow in affected locations, residents and stakeholders will also be watching to see whether the exercise is sustained beyond the immediate aftermath of the flooding.

There are also likely to be questions about compensation, enforcement procedures and whether property owners were issued appropriate notices where required.

For Kingibe, the central issue remains the welfare of Abuja residents.

For Wike, the immediate challenge is to ensure that the capital’s rapidly expanding infrastructure does not come at the expense of drainage systems and natural waterways.

As the demolition exercise begins in Maitama and other flood-prone areas, the controversy over Abuja’s development, flooding and enforcement of its planning rules is unlikely to end with the latest directive.

The bigger question is whether the FCT can balance its ambitious infrastructure expansion with strict protection of waterways, green areas and other features of the original Abuja master plan.