Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has ordered the immediate demolition of houses built on designated stormwater channels in Maitama and other flood-prone districts of the city.
Wike said the action would proceed “regardless” of the owners’ political status.
Minister Wike inspected flood-damaged areas on Tuesday and directed enforcement to begin at once and continue through Saturday.
“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 Minister explained that FCT under his leadership would not be deterred by elections or elite standing.
NewsQuest reports that the Minister’s directive follows heavy rains that exposed man-made contributors to flooding in Abuja.
Minister Wike stressed that buildings sited on waterways, clogged drains, indiscriminate waste disposal lapse in supervision and maintenance.
Government inspections, he added, found that some property owners had deliberately blocked channels reserved in the Abuja Master Plan for stormwater flow.
“Those houses are not houses that were built last week,” Minister Wike said, describing many of the structures as long-standing and owned by wealthy Nigerians.
“All those built-up areas that were not supposed to be built up, not a single poor person will live there.”
The FCT Minister blamed earlier administrations and some officials for insufficient enforcement, but insisted the current administration had the political will to act.
“If there is one Minister that has that political will, I have. I have the political will,” he said.
While acknowledging that recent intense rainfall — which he linked in part to climate change — had raised flood risks, Minister Wike emphasized the role of human activity in worsening the problem.
He pointed to construction on waterways, development outside designated areas, failure to desilt drains and illegal dumping as key causes.
The Minister ordered the immediate desilting of identified drainage systems and said structures found on water channels would be removed, irrespective of who owns them.
