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The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced a city-wide desilting and clearing of drainage channels along the Airport Road and other parts of Abuja following recent torrential rainfall and flash floods that sparked public criticism and renewed scrutiny of developments on green areas and waterways.
The exercise involves the removal of accumulated silt, sand, refuse and other objects blocking drainage channels and preventing the free flow of stormwater.
The acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Mr Richard Dauda, said on Thursday that the exercise was directed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, following Tuesday’s flash flood that inundated parts of the Airport Expressway.
Speaking while inspecting the ongoing clearance operations along the Airport Expressway, Dauda said the desilting was aimed at mitigating flood risks during the peak of the rainy season.
He explained that while the recent heavy downpour was consistent with earlier meteorological warnings and climate change trends, some areas of the Federal Capital Territory, including sections of the Airport Expressway axis, were naturally prone to flooding.
According to him, the Abuja Master Plan recognised some of the affected locations as flood plains, while drainage infrastructure had originally been designed to accommodate large volumes of stormwater.
He, however, said human activities had over time severely compromised the efficiency of the drainage facilities.
“Some of these drainage facilities over time have been silted. Part of the cause is residents dumping refuse into drainage channels.
“When rain falls, it washes down polythene bags, waste, and even large objects that block the outlets,” Dauda said.
The recent flooding in parts of the FCT, including the Airport Road axis and Lokogoma, had generated public outrage and raised questions over Abuja’s drainage infrastructure, enforcement of the Abuja Master Plan and the approval of developments on green areas and natural waterways.
Critics had accused the administration of allowing developments on areas designated as green zones, arguing that continued encroachment on open spaces and natural drainage corridors could worsen flooding in the nation’s capital.
Dauda, however, identified illegal development and widespread vandalism of public infrastructure as major factors aggravating flash floods in Abuja.
He pointed to a major drainage choke point along the Airport Expressway involving a triple-cell box culvert designed to discharge a powerful stream flowing from the Galadima Roundabout.
According to him, a private developer had illegally constricted the waterway further downstream by constructing retaining walls to expand a personal plot.
“What that causes is that the volume of water that ought to pass no longer passes, causing detention, backflow, and eventual flooding.
“To restore adequate discharge capacity, we must remove the structures built by this developer,” he said.
Dauda also decried the theft of metal gully inlet covers by vandals, saying their removal allows large debris to flow directly into underground drainage channels instead of being sieved at the surface.
“When vandals steal these covers, it’s like stealing from yourself as a taxpayer,” he remarked.
He disclosed that the FCDA was exploring the use of alternative materials made from non-recyclable compounds to replace steel and cast-iron drainage covers and discourage theft.
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Dauda confirmed that workers were already desilting trapezoidal drains, U-channels and culvert outlets along the Airport Expressway, while damaged sections would be reconstructed where necessary.
The latest inspection and clearance exercise followed assurances by Wike during his monthly media chat on Wednesday that the FCTA was investigating the causes of the flooding and holding officials and developers responsible for violations of the Abuja Master Plan accountable.
The Minister disclosed that a director in the FCDA had been suspended under civil service rules for allegedly granting illegal approvals for developments on waterways.
According to Wike, “We suspended a director in the FCDA according to the civil service rule who was illegally giving building approvals to build on waterways.”
He said the action was part of efforts to hold both developers and government officials accountable for violations of the Abuja Master Plan.
Wike also addressed concerns over developments on green areas, insisting that government policy did not permit construction on such locations.
“You got approval to do something wrong; sometimes, it’s under influence. Government policy is that nobody should do anything on green areas,” the Minister said.
He added: “Now you go with the spirit that nothing will happen, and then when we come to enforce, you say you have approval. It is not going to be accepted.”
Wike also disclosed that another official had faced disciplinary action over the alleged illegal reallocation of park land under the guise of security considerations.
The Minister said the administration had dispatched the Executive Secretary of the FCDA and the Director of Development Control to inspect affected locations, including the Airport Road and Lokogoma.
According to him, the investigation would establish the extent to which human activities, including illegal construction and obstruction of waterways, contributed to the flooding.
“When I heard of the incident, the Executive Secretary of the FCDA and the Director, Development Control had to go to the place, not only at the Airport Road but also in Lokogoma,” Wike said.
“The one that is man-made, we can solve the problem; the one that is natural, there is nothing we can do. It becomes a natural disaster. So, it’s something that we have to investigate.”
The Minister also blamed years of violations of the Abuja Master Plan for challenges in some parts of the Territory, particularly where buildings had allegedly been erected without approval and on designated infrastructure corridors.
He specifically cited Lugbe, saying development in the area had over the years violated the Abuja Master Plan.
“From our studies, Lugbe has always been violating the Abuja Master Plan. All over the years, you see people building without approval and blocking where is supposed to be a roadway. As an administration, we are not taking it lightly,” he said.
Dauda, meanwhile, urged Abuja residents to stop dumping refuse into drainage channels and waterways, warning that government infrastructure could only effectively protect the city from flooding with public cooperation.
He also warned that illegal structures obstructing waterways and the continued vandalism of drainage infrastructure would undermine efforts to address flooding across the Federal Capital Territory.
