Flooding: Concerned Nigerian Writes Wike, Seeks Wetlands Protection, Master Plan Enforcement

A former resident of Abuja, Rachel Haastrup Ekundayo, has urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration to urgently review the factors responsible for the recent flooding in parts of the nation’s capital and take stronger measures to prevent a recurrence.

In an email to THE WHISTLER, Ekundayo, who said she had known Abuja for about 10 years and lived in the city for approximately three years, warned against allowing flooding to become an accepted feature of life in the nation’s capital.

Against this backdrop, Ekundayo, in her letter addressed to the FCT Administration and made available to THE WHISTLER, said the recent flooding should not be treated as an inevitable occurrence simply because flooding had also been recorded in other Nigerian cities.

She argued that such an approach would lower the standard expected of Abuja and could gradually turn a preventable problem into an accepted reality.

“I am writing following the recent flooding in Abuja because I strongly believe this must not be allowed to become a normal occurrence,” she said.

Ekundayo said treating flooding as something that “simply happens” because it occurs elsewhere, including Lagos, could undermine efforts to enforce proper planning and protect residents.

“That is how preventable problems gradually become accepted until people are literally struggling through floodwater simply because planning rules were not followed or enforced,” she said.

Explaining her concern, Ekundayo said her position was informed by her personal connection with Abuja.

“I say this as someone who genuinely loves Abuja,” she said.

According to her, she had developed sufficient familiarity with the capital to understand its character and did not want flooding of the nature recently witnessed to become associated with the city.

“I know Abuja well, and I have never wanted to see flooding of this nature become part of its identity,” she said.

She also drew attention to the importance of wetlands and natural drainage systems, citing her personal ownership of a plot of wetland in the United Kingdom as an example of why undeveloped land should not automatically be regarded as wasted land.

Ekundayo said she bought the wetland, knowing that she might never be permitted to develop a residential property on it.

“Some people would describe that as a useless investment. I do not,” she said, adding “That land is doing a job.”

She explained that wetlands absorb water, protect surrounding communities, support ecosystems, and provide environmental benefits that could be more valuable to society than another building constructed on the land.

“In that sense, leaving land undeveloped can itself be an investment in people’s safety,” she said.

Ekundayo consequently called on the FCT Administration to take a firm position on the protection of wetlands, waterways, and natural drainage areas from development.

She urged the administration to enforce Abuja’s existing master plan rather than repeatedly regularising developments that, in her view, should never have been approved.

She also called for an investigation into the specific factors that contributed to the latest flooding and urged the administration to publish the lessons learned from the incident.

According to her, such an investigation would help the authorities identify weaknesses in the city’s flood-prevention systems and establish measures to ensure that they are corrected.

She further urged the FCT Administration to ensure that drainage infrastructure is cleared and properly maintained before every rainy season.

Ekundayo also called for a review of developments located in known flood-prone areas.

She said flood prevention should not be treated as a general responsibility without clear ownership, urging the administration to make it a measurable responsibility with specific agencies named and held accountable for implementation.

The former Abuja resident said the immediate objective following the latest incident should be to determine exactly what went wrong and address the underlying weaknesses.

“Please do not allow Abuja residents to become accustomed to something that should be preventable.