The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of houses and other structures obstructing designated waterways in Maitama and other flood-prone areas of Abuja.
He issued the directive on Tuesday after inspecting locations affected by the recent flooding in the capital.
Wike directed the FCT Development Control Department to begin the enforcement immediately and continue through Saturday, insisting that neither political activities nor the status of property owners would prevent the exercise.
He said influential individuals whose properties were found to have encroached on water channels would not be spared.
According to the minister, inspections revealed that several buildings had been erected on corridors reserved in the Abuja Master Plan for the movement of stormwater.
He blamed the worsening impact of flooding partly on developments along waterways, blocked drainage systems, indiscriminate waste disposal and inadequate maintenance of drainage infrastructure.
Wike also ordered the immediate clearing and desilting of identified drainage channels, while urging residents and traders to stop dumping refuse in waterways.
Although he acknowledged that unusually heavy rainfall and changing weather patterns had contributed to the flooding, he maintained that human activities had significantly aggravated the situation.
The minister rejected claims that the FCT Administration lacked the political will to enforce planning regulations, saying the government was prepared to take difficult decisions regardless of whose property was affected.
He also dismissed attempts to politicise the flooding, arguing that the priority should be finding practical solutions to the city’s environmental and infrastructural challenges.
Wike further warned against the unauthorised conversion of green areas and other spaces reserved under Abuja’s development plan.
Defending the administration’s performance over the past three years, he disclosed that 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy had been signed during the period, compared with about 7,000 issued by two previous administrations over 13 years.
He directed officials to ensure there was no delay in removing structures found on water channels, stressing that the length of time an illegal development had existed would not protect it from enforcement.
Wike said the FCT Administration would continue to tackle violations of the Abuja Master Plan and respond to environmental problems raised by residents.
