WIKE ORDERS IMMEDIATE DEMOLITION OF HOUSES BLOCKING ABUJA WATERWAYS

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has directed the immediate demolition of buildings obstructing waterways in Maitama and other flood-prone parts of Abuja.

Wike gave the order on Tuesday after inspecting areas affected by the recent flooding in the nation’s capital.

The minister said enforcement would begin immediately and continue through Saturday, stressing that neither political considerations nor the status of property owners would prevent the exercise.

“We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men,” Wike said.

He added, “Whether there’s election or there’s no election, all those houses will go down. Heaven will not fall. Rather, heaven will be at peace that the right thing has been done.”

The directive followed heavy rainfall that triggered flash floods in several parts of Abuja.

Wike said the recent flooding had highlighted the impact of human activities, including construction on waterways, blocked drainage systems, indiscriminate waste disposal and weak enforcement of development regulations.

According to him, inspections of affected locations revealed that some property owners had built structures across channels designated in the FCT masterplan for the movement of stormwater.

“Unfortunately, we have gone there, and we have seen how people have blocked channels where, in the masterplan, that is the right way where the water is supposed to be channelled,” he said.

The minister said many of the affected properties belonged to wealthy Nigerians and had existed for several years.

“All those built-up areas that were not supposed to be built up, not a single poor person will live there. Those houses are houses built by well-to-do Nigerians,” he said.

“Those houses are not houses that were built last week. Those houses have been there 10 years ago, eight years ago.”

Wike said the government would enforce planning laws regardless of the identities or social standing of those affected.

He also suggested that previous administrations may have lacked the political will to remove structures that violated planning regulations, while some officials may have failed to properly carry out their duties.

“And let nobody make the mistake that this government lacks the political will to do anything. The person must be making a very big mistake,” Wike said.

“If there is one minister that has that political will, I have. I have the political will.”

The FCT minister also ordered the immediate desilting of identified drainage channels as part of measures to reduce the impact of flooding.

He acknowledged that the intensity of recent rainfall could be linked partly to climate change and natural factors but maintained that human activities had also worsened the situation.

“We are in a climate change period. The kind of rains we have experienced, or we are experiencing now, we have not experienced before. But that is not that there are no man-made factors. There are,” he said.

Wike further dismissed attempts to turn the flooding into a political issue, saying Abuja was not the only place experiencing the effects of heavy rainfall.

His comments came after Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the FCT, said during an interview on Arise TV on Monday that she had previously warned about the possibility of severe flooding in Abuja but claimed her concerns were not acted upon.

Wike declined to engage in what he described as political commentary, insisting that the administration remained focused on its record and ongoing projects in the FCT.

“I don’t want to reply to political commentators. I don’t want to reply to people who think that appearing on TV, in their houses, will give them an edge to win an election that they have lost. No,” he said.

“Nobody can diminish what this administration has done in the past three years. Nobody can diminish it.

“This administration has done very well as far as the Federal Capital Territory is concerned. That does not mean that I can claim that it has solved all problems, no. Are there problems? Yes. Have they solved major problems? Yes. Will they continue to solve problems? Yes.”

The minister also defended the administration’s record in issuing Certificates of Occupancy, saying 26,272 C-of-Os had been signed within three years, compared with about 7,000 issued by two previous administrations over a combined period of 13 years.

Wike said the flooding should not be used to erase the administration’s achievements, while acknowledging that several challenges still required attention.

He urged residents, traders and other members of the public to stop dumping refuse into drainage channels and called for greater compliance with development regulations.

The minister maintained that the demolition exercise would be carried out without regard to political affiliation, wealth or social status.