By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of buildings found to have been constructed on designated water channels across Abuja.
Wike, who spoke on the recent flooding in the nation’s capital on Tuesday , said the government would no longer allow buildings or other developments that obstruct waterways to remain, regardless of the status of their owners.
He said some of the affected properties belong to well-to-do Nigerians, including senators, stressing that the demolition would proceed irrespective of the ongoing election season.
The minister attributed the flooding to a combination of climate change and human activities, including construction on waterways, building on unauthorised land, failure to desilt drainage systems and indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
He said the recent floods had exposed several developments blocking designated water channels and provided an opportunity for the government to correct the situation.
Wike also directed relevant officials to begin immediate desilting of identified drainage systems, while urging residents to stop dumping refuse into drainages.
The minister maintained that the FCT Administration has the political will to tackle the causes of flooding and would continue to enforce development regulations across the capital.
He also dismissed attempts to politicise the flooding, saying the administration should be judged by its efforts to address the challenges facing the FCT.
Wike further disclosed that the FCT Administration has issued about 26,000 Certificates of Occupancy in three years, compared with about 7,000 issued by two previous administrations over 13 years.
