The Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, has directed the immediate demolition of buildings and structures obstructing designated waterways and drainage channels in Maitama and other flood-prone areas of Abuja.
The directive follows the Minister’s inspection on Tuesday of areas affected by flooding over the weekend, which submerged several properties in Maitama Extension and other parts of the nation’s capital. Residents had attributed the flooding to indiscriminate construction along water channels and blocked drainage systems.
Speaking after the inspection, Wike ordered the FCT Development Control Department to commence the exercise immediately and complete it by Saturday. He stressed that the action would proceed regardless of the status of the property owners or ongoing political activities.
“Any house that’s found on the water channel will go down. We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men,” Wike stated. “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 Minister noted that inspections revealed property owners had deliberately blocked channels designated in the Abuja Master Plan for the passage of stormwater. He identified the construction of buildings on waterways, blocked drainage channels, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, and inadequate maintenance of drainage infrastructure as major factors aggravating flooding in the FCT.
Wike emphasized that the government would no longer tolerate such violations, insisting that enforcement of the Master Plan and protection of waterways were essential for public safety and the prevention of future flooding. Demolition operations have already commenced in Maitama as directed.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration remains committed to restoring proper drainage systems, protecting designated green areas and right-of-way zones, and ensuring that all residents of the capital city are safeguarded from the consequences of illegal developments.