…Warns Senators, ‘Big Men’ against Mounting Pressure

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday ordered the immediate demolition of houses and other structures built on designated water channels in Abuja, warning that no amount of political pressure would stop the exercise.

Wike, who spoke shortly after inspecting areas affected by Saturday’s flooding in the nation’s capital, said the administration would no longer tolerate developments that obstruct water channels, irrespective of the status of the owners.

He specifically disclosed that some of the properties identified as obstructing water channels belonged to senators and influential Nigerians, insisting that such structures would be removed in the interest of public safety.

The minister said: “I’m going to bring those houses down. Any house that’s found on the water channel will go down.

“Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men. The next thing you will see is campaign now, ‘Oh, why is he doing this during the period of election? Stop him! Let us finish election.’

“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.”

Wike directed the FCT Development Control Department to commence action immediately, giving officers up to Saturday to demolish structures found to have blocked designated waterways.

He warned officials against delaying the exercise under any guise, saying the administration had the political will to enforce the Abuja Master Plan.

“From today to Saturday, if Development Control delays, let them find any excuse to run away. They cannot. We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel,” he said.

The minister attributed the flooding to a combination of natural and human factors, including climate change, torrential rainfall, construction on waterways, development in areas not designated for building and inadequate desilting of drainage systems.

He also blamed indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains for aggravating the problem, stressing that residents had a responsibility to keep drainage channels free of waste.

According to him, while flooding is a natural phenomenon that has affected cities across the world, including developed countries, the government must address the human factors within its control.

“Flood could be a natural disaster. After all, you see forecasts, NiMet states that are likely to be flooded, or flood likely to take place in some states based on torrential rainfall expected. It happens.

“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 to say that there are no man-made factors. There are. And it’s those man-made factors we have been trying to tackle, and we’ll continue to tackle,” Wike said.

He said the recent flooding had exposed several locations where buildings had been erected on channels reserved in the Abuja Master Plan for the passage of water.

Wike said previous administrations might not have had the political will to remove such structures, but insisted that his administration would not allow political considerations to override public safety and planning regulations.

He added that the affected buildings were not properties occupied by poor Nigerians, but largely houses belonging to wealthy individuals who had violated planning regulations.

“Of all the areas we have gone to, mention anything there that’s caused by a poor person. All those built-up areas that were not supposed to be built up, no, not a single poor person will live there. Those houses are houses built by well-to-do Nigerians,” he said.

The minister also directed the immediate desilting of identified drainage systems, while urging residents, traders and other users of public spaces to desist from dumping refuse in drainage channels.

Wike further warned against the conversion of designated green areas and other spaces in the FCT for unauthorised developments.

He maintained that parks and recreational facilities were distinct from protected green areas, stressing that the administration would continue to enforce the Abuja Master Plan.

The minister, however, dismissed attempts to politicise the flooding, saying the development should instead serve as an opportunity for the authorities to identify and address the underlying causes.

He also defended the achievements of the President Bola Tinubu administration in the FCT, particularly its land administration reforms, saying the administration had signed more than 26,000 Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) in three years.

Wike contrasted the figure with the number of C-of-Os issued by two previous administrations over a 13-year period, saying the administration’s record should not be overshadowed by political arguments over the flooding.

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

The minister said the FCT Administration would continue to address problems confronting the capital rather than engage political commentators, insisting that the government’s priority remained the safety, orderly development and liveability of Abuja.

“I have no interest. My interest is we’ll continue to do the right thing in FCT, where no one will stop,” Wike said.