Wike orders demolition of houses built on water channels in Abuja

By Daniel Tyokua

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of houses built on water channels in Maitama and other flood-prone areas of Abuja.

Wike’s directive followed the flooding that occurred in some parts of Maitama are of the nation’s capital.

During the inspection on Tuesday, the minister said the demolition would commence immediately and continue until weekend, regardless of the ongoing political activities or the status of the owners of the affected properties.

He said the government would no longer tolerate the obstruction of waterways by property owners, warning that the exercise would affect all structures found to have been built on designated water channels, irrespective of the status of their owners.

The FCT minister said the recent flooding had exposed several man-made factors contributing to flooding in the capital city, including the construction of buildings on waterways, blockage of drainage channels, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and failure by relevant officials to properly supervise developments and desilt drainage infrastructure.

According to him, the government had inspected the affected locations and discovered that some property owners had deliberately blocked channels designated in the Abuja Master Plan for the passage of stormwater.

“We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men,” Wike said.

“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.”

“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,”

Wike said the affected structures were not recently constructed and were largely owned by wealthy Nigerians, stressing that the government would no longer allow social status to prevent enforcement of development regulations.

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