By Eunice Orike
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of houses and other structures found obstructing designated waterways in Maitama and other flood-prone areas of Abuja.
Wike gave the directive on Tuesday after inspecting areas affected by the recent flooding in Maitama, saying the demolition would commence immediately and continue until Saturday, irrespective of ongoing political activities or the status of the owners of the affected properties.
The minister warned that the FCT Administration would no longer tolerate the construction of buildings on designated water channels, stressing that enforcement would apply to all property owners, including influential Nigerians.
“We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel, Some of them are senators, Some of them are big men,” Wike said.
“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.”
According to him, the recent flooding had exposed several human activities contributing to flooding in the nation’s capital, including construction on waterways, blockage of drainage channels, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and poor supervision of developments.
Wike said inspections of affected areas showed that some property owners had deliberately blocked channels designated in the Abuja Master Plan for the passage of stormwater.
“Unfortunately, we have gone there, and we have seen how people have blocked channels where, in the Master Plan, that is the right way where the water is supposed to be channelled,” he said.
The minister noted that most of the affected buildings were owned by wealthy Nigerians and had existed for several years, insisting that the social status of property owners would not stop the government from enforcing planning regulations.
“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 suggested that previous administrations might not have had the political will to enforce development regulations, while some officials may also have failed to perform their duties effectively.
However, he insisted that the current administration was determined to enforce the rules.
