The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says the ongoing demolition of structures erected on waterways across the nation’s capital will continue unabated.
Wike, who said this after inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja on Wednesday, warned that his administration would not back down regardless of who was affected.
The minister revealed that the current exercise was merely the beginning of a sweeping crackdown aimed at restoring the city’s Master Plan and preventing environmental disasters.
He emphasised that the clearance operations would extend to all parts of the FCT where illegal structures obstructed natural water flow and violated urban planning regulations.
“Definitely, we have just started somewhere. After that, we will move to another area. We are not going to end just where we started yesterday,” he said.
He reassured residents of the FCT Administration’s commitment to seeing the exercise through.
In a related enforcement move, the minister disclosed that he had issued an official query to the Director of Urban Planning for granting approvals that allowed car dealers to convert designated green zones into auto sales lots.
Decrying the indiscriminate conversion of utility and recreational spaces, Wike expressed outrage at how scenic locations and park spaces across the territory have been taken over by commercial vehicle displays.
He announced an immediate ban on all car sales activities within public green spaces, adding that a dedicated task force had been constituted to enforce the total removal of auto dealers from the zones.
He advised vehicle sellers to secure and develop legitimate commercial properties for their operations, stressing that the administration would no longer tolerate the misuse of spaces earmarked for ecological balance and public recreation.
Reiterating his firm stance on the enforcement operations, the minister dismissed any expectations of executive leniency, maintaining that law and order must be restored to the FCT regardless of the status of property owners.
Addressing concerns regarding blocked drainage systems, Wike explained that the demolition of illegal structures directly on water channels remained the most effective solution to restoring proper flow and safeguarding communities from severe flooding.
He dismissed criticism from commentators alleging a lack of due process in the government’s clearance operations, questioning the logic of those who illegally constructed buildings on natural drainage paths.
The minister stressed that removing hazardous blockages to protect the broader public was the ultimate expression of due process.
“You can’t go and erect a structure to block the water channel that is now affecting the entire community, and you are saying I am not following due process.
”Sometimes when you are in a mad community, you also have some level of madness to contain them,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the FCT Administration had on Tuesday begun demolishing houses and structures built on water ways in Maitama as directed by the minister.
The move, according to the minister, is to prevent flooding currently affecting some areas of the capital city.(NAN)
