Abuja Flood: Wike Orders Demolition of Buildings on Water Channels, Says No One Will Be Spared

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has ordered the immediate demolition of structures built on designated water channels in Abuja, warning that the exercise will affect property owners regardless of their political influence or social status.

Speaking following recent flooding across parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Wike said the government would enforce the FCT master plan and remove buildings obstructing water channels.

“I am going to bring those houses down. Any house that is found on the channel—water channel will go down,” the minister declared.

Wike said the demolition exercise would continue from Monday through Saturday and warned officials in the Development Control Department against frustrating the enforcement.

“From today to Saturday, if the development control delay, let them find any excuse to run away. They cannot,” he said.

He disclosed that some of the properties targeted for demolition belonged to senators and other influential Nigerians.

“Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men,” Wike said.

‘Whether there’s election or no election, all those houses will go down’

The minister said he expected the demolitions to generate political controversy, especially because of the approaching election season.

He said critics could accuse the administration of targeting political opponents and demand that the exercise be suspended until after the elections.

“The next thing you will see campaign now, ‘Oh, why is he doing this during period of election?’ That is the next campaign you will see now. ‘Stop him! Let us finish election.’ Whether there’s election oh, there’s no election oh, all those houses will go down,” he said.

Wike argued that the affected structures were not recently constructed and had remained in place for years.

“Those houses are not houses that were built in last week. Those houses have been there 10 years ago, eighy years ago,” he said.

He further argued that the structures were largely owned by wealthy individuals.

“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 stated.

Human activities worsening Abuja flooding

While acknowledging the impact of climate change and unusually heavy rainfall, Wike said human activities were contributing significantly to the flooding problem.

He cited blocked water channels, unauthorised construction, inadequate drainage desilting and indiscriminate waste disposal among the factors aggravating flooding in Abuja.

“We are in a climate change era. The kind of rains we have experienced, or we are experiencing now, we have not experienced before. But that is not that there are no man-made factors,” he said.

Wike also condemned the conversion of designated green areas into parks, describing the practice as another form of land abuse.

He said old and informal claims to land would not be used to justify continuing violations.

“Because something was done wrongly many years ago, and then it will not be corrected? No, we will not allow that. We won’t,” he said.

Minister defends his administration’s record

Wike also highlighted what he described as achievements recorded by his administration in the FCT over the past three years.

He said the administration had issued 26,000 Certificates of Occupancy, compared with 7,000 issued by two previous administrations over 13 years.

According to Wike, critics had chosen to focus on the flooding to score political points instead of acknowledging the administration’s record.

“The moment they saw the figures in terms of certificates of occupancy to ease businesses came out, instead of them to commend the administration, they used the issue of flood to begin to play politics,” he said.

The minister praised residents who raised genuine concerns about the flooding and distinguished them from those he accused of using videos of flooded areas to attack his administration.

“I appreciate those Nigerians who meant well by calling us to say, ‘Look, you may not have seen this. See what has happened.’ Not those who will just, after putting the video, ‘Oh, circulate this! Wike has killed Abuja!’” he said.

Wike insisted that he would not allow political criticism to stop the enforcement exercise.

“I never created any flood. So, I hope now that we have started to demolish, you won’t cry to say, ‘Oh, it’s against a political opponent.’ No,” he said.

Africans Angle News