Wike: Houses built on Abuja waterways must go, Senators not exempted

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of houses and other structures built on waterways and drainage channels across Abuja, warning that the enforcement exercise will not spare senators, wealthy individuals or other influential property owners.

Wike issued the directive on Tuesday during an inspection of communities affected by recent flooding in the Federal Capital Territory.

He directed the FCT Development Control Department to commence the demolition of structures obstructing waterways immediately and sustain the exercise through Saturday.

The minister said the recent flooding had exposed widespread violations of the Abuja Master Plan, particularly the construction of buildings on designated stormwater channels and drainage corridors.

“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 said.

He insisted that political considerations would not influence the enforcement exercise.

“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,” he added.

The minister’s directive followed the flooding of several houses and mansions in Maitama Extension and other parts of Abuja over the weekend.

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Residents had blamed the flooding on indiscriminate construction, blocked drainage systems and the obstruction of natural waterways.

Wike said inspections conducted by FCT officials confirmed that some developers had blocked natural drainage routes that were designated under the Abuja Master Plan for the movement 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.

He maintained that the government could no longer allow illegal developments to remain in place simply because they belonged to influential or wealthy Nigerians.

According to him, some of the affected structures had been standing for several years, but their continued existence posed a serious threat to residents and the city’s drainage infrastructure.

Wike also directed relevant FCT agencies to immediately commence the desilting and clearing of identified drainage systems across the affected areas.

He warned residents, traders and other occupants against dumping refuse into waterways and drainage channels, noting that blocked drains had aggravated the impact of heavy rainfall.

The minister acknowledged that flooding could occur as a result of natural factors, including unusually heavy rainfall and climate change, but stressed that human activities had significantly worsened the situation in Abuja.

“Flood could be a natural disaster,” Wike said, adding that “man-made factors” were also responsible for the scale of the damage.

He said the government would intensify enforcement to restore designated waterways and drainage corridors, insisting that the protection of lives and property must take precedence over the status or influence of property owners.