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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the recent flooding along the Airport Road corridor and in Lokogoma District, warning that structures found to have been erected on waterways and in violation of the Abuja Master Plan would be demolished.
Wike said a high-level team, led by the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Director of Development Control, had been dispatched to conduct on-the-ground assessments of the affected areas, including Lugbe and Lokogoma.
The Minister, who spoke during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, said the investigation would determine whether the devastating flooding was caused by natural factors or human activities.
“When I heard of the incident, the Executive Secretary of the FCDA and the Director of 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.”
However, the Minister said preliminary findings indicated that years of violations of the Abuja Master Plan, including the construction of buildings on natural waterways and designated road corridors, could have contributed significantly to the flooding.
He specifically identified Lugbe as an area with a long history of development violations.
“From our studies, Lugbe has always been violating the Abuja Master Plan,” Wike said.
“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.”
Wike vowed that the FCTA would take decisive steps to correct the abuse of the Master Plan, particularly along the Airport Road axis, warning that no structure erected on waterways would be spared.
The Minister also disclosed that the administration had begun taking disciplinary action against officials accused of facilitating illegal developments on green areas, parks and waterways.
According to him, a director within the FCTA was recently suspended under the civil service rules for allegedly issuing unauthorised “temporary approvals” to commercial operators on designated green areas.
He added that another official had also faced disciplinary action for allegedly reallocating park land under the guise of security clearing.
Wike said the FCTA would no longer tolerate officials who compromise the Abuja Master Plan or enable individuals to illegally acquire and develop protected land.
On claims that some structures marked for demolition had received approvals from previous administrations, the Minister said approvals obtained through influence or in violation of government policy would not protect illegal developments from enforcement.
“You got approval to do something wrong. Sometimes, it’s under influence,” he said.
“Government policy is that nobody should do anything on green areas. 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.”
The Minister also gave an update on infrastructure projects being executed across the FCT, insisting that all ongoing projects awarded under the present administration, as well as inherited projects, would be completed before the end of the administration’s tenure.
Wike said of the 107 road projects awarded under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in the FCT, 76 had already been completed, while 10 more were scheduled for completion before the next round of elections.
He added that the administration had completed 23 of the 25 projects inherited from the Muhammadu Buhari administration and six of the eight projects inherited from the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
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According to him, the FCTA had also made progress in resolving projects abandoned since the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“For the first time in the history of the FCT since 1999, no administration has awarded that number of projects and completed them,” Wike said.
The Minister said records of the projects and their completion had been made public through national television platforms.
On the removal of fuel subsidy and the rising cost of living, Wike defended the Federal Government’s economic reforms and challenged Nigerians to demand accountability from state and local governments over increased revenue allocations.
He said the critical question Nigerians should ask was what governments at the sub-national level had done with the additional funds made available following the removal of the subsidy.
“All you should have asked was: having removed subsidy, what did you do with the gains of it?” Wike said.
“The government has come to say the gains were shared among the sub-national governments. Today, the states are paying salaries and pensions unlike before.
“Today, I can go on with projects. Today, the universities are going on without strikes.
“Having done that, it is now for states to account for what they have done with the money.”
The Minister also dismissed comments by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on the possibility of restoring the fuel subsidy, saying Nigerians should instead focus on accountability and how increased government revenues were being deployed.
He pointed to developments in the FCT, including the revival of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit system and the expansion of road infrastructure, as evidence of the impact of increased government revenues.
Wike also became emotional while paying tribute to his late political associate, Chief Dan Orbih, describing his death as a personal loss and praising him as a principled politician who remained firm despite political pressure.
“Dan Orbih stood very firm in spite of pressure,” Wike said.
“That’s why I tell people that if you really know what you are doing and you are committed, no amount of pressure can sway you.”
He recalled that Orbih visited him shortly before travelling abroad for medical treatment.
“Before he died, he came to see me and informed me that he would be travelling for medical reasons,” the Minister said.
“I went to the London Clinic to see him and I never thought that this would happen. We cannot question God, but I don’t know whether I can really recover from it.”
On Rivers State politics, Wike said he remained actively involved in efforts to maintain political stability and sustain contact with his grassroots political base.
He said major political actors in the state had aligned under what he described as a “Rainbow Coalition” in support of President Tinubu’s administration, expressing confidence that the opposition would face difficulties presenting a united front in future elections.
