Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the demolition of houses and other structures built on designated waterways in Abuja, giving Development Control until Saturday to act against buildings obstructing drainage channels.
Wike issued the directive on Tuesday after inspecting parts of Maitama affected by flooding following heavy rainfall over the weekend.
During the inspection, the minister visited a designated drainage area where a structure had been erected despite the plot being revoked in 2011.
The location was identified as Plot 4508 A06, with a sign at the site stating that the plot had been revoked on December 22, 2011, because of overriding public interest.
Wike said the inspection showed that some property owners had built on channels designated for water flow under Abuja’s planning framework.
He warned that such structures would be removed, arguing that the recent flooding had exposed the consequences of obstructing waterways.
“I am going to bring those houses down. Any house that falls on the water channel will go down,” the minister said.
Wike subsequently gave the FCT Development Control Department until Saturday to identify and demolish structures found on waterways.
He also ruled out exemptions for politically connected property owners, saying the status of a building’s owner would not protect it if the structure was found to be obstructing a designated water channel.
“Some of them are Senators, some of them are big men,” Wike said, insisting that the demolition exercise would proceed regardless of political pressure.
The directive follows renewed concerns about flooding in Abuja after heavy rainfall affected several areas, including Maitama.
Wike’s aide on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, had identified the Maitama location inspected by the minister as a drainage area that was allocated before being revoked in 2011.
The discovery has added to concerns over the enforcement of Abuja’s development regulations, particularly where private construction encroaches on drainage corridors, green areas and other spaces reserved under the city’s planning framework.
The FCT Administration has also attributed some of the capital’s drainage problems to the rapid expansion of Abuja, waste accumulation and the removal of drainage covers by scavengers.
The administration says it is reviewing the 1979 Abuja Master Plan to reflect current realities and has started installing drainage covers designed to make them more difficult to remove.
The Abuja Master Plan, completed in 1979, remains the framework for the city’s land use and infrastructure planning. The Federal Capital Development Authority says its engineering responsibilities include stormwater and sewage infrastructure.
The plan is now being reviewed as Abuja continues to expand. In March, the FCT Administration announced a partnership with Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency to update the master plan and guide the capital’s development towards 2050.
The review is expected to address modern infrastructure demands, environmental sustainability and climate resilience.
For Wike, however, the immediate priority is enforcement.
His Saturday deadline puts the FCT Development Control Department under pressure to identify structures built directly on waterways and begin action against them, with the minister making clear that political influence will not be accepted as a reason to stop the exercise.
