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The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced the desilting and clearing of drainage channels along the Airport Road and other parts of Abuja following the recent flooding 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 recent flooding in parts of the Federal Capital Territory, including the Airport Road axis and Lokogoma, 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.
However, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, during his monthly media chat on Wednesday, said the FCTA was investigating the causes of the flooding and had also taken disciplinary action against officials found to have facilitated illegal developments.
The minister disclosed that a director in the Federal Capital Development Authority (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 in 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.
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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 parkland 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.
