Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday inspected areas affected by weekend flooding in Maitama, Abuja, where officials identified a structure built on a drainage area whose allocation was revoked in 2011.
The minister visited the site accompanied by FCT officials as concerns continued over the factors contributing to flooding in parts of the capital after heavy rainfall on Saturday.
A sign at the location identified it as a drainage area and stated that Plot 4508 A06 had been revoked on December 22, 2011, due to overriding public interest.
Lere Olayinka, the minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, shared footage of the inspection on X and said the structure had been erected after the plot was revoked.
The inspection comes amid renewed concerns over blocked waterways, construction around designated drainage and green areas, and the adequacy of drainage infrastructure across Abuja.
Olayinka had earlier defended the FCT Administration against criticism over the flooding, saying such incidents predated Wike’s tenure as minister.
He said heavy rainfall on Saturday caused temporary flooding in some parts of the city before the water receded, while citing flooding incidents recorded in Wuse, Jabi and Lokogoma in 2019 and in Lokogoma, Efab Estate and Gudu in 2022.
According to him, the rapid expansion of the FCT has placed pressure on drainage infrastructure, waste management systems and enforcement of planning regulations.
He also blamed the removal of drainage covers by scavengers, saying the exposed channels were subsequently vulnerable to refuse accumulation.
Olayinka said the FCT Administration was reviewing the 1979 Abuja Master Plan to align it with current realities and had commenced the installation of drainage covers designed to make them harder to remove.
The minister’s inspection followed the flooding recorded in several parts of Abuja over the weekend, with the administration facing calls to address drainage and planning challenges in affected communities.
