Abuja Flood: Wike vows to demolish houses blocking water channels

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has threatened to demolish houses built on or obstructing designated water channels.

Mr Wike spoke on Tuesday during a press conference in Abuja where he argued that the structures are contributing to flooding in the Nigerian capital and must be removed to restore proper drainage.

His remarks came after some parts of Abuja were flooded following a heavy rain on Saturday. Residents of Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Lokogoma and some other areas were caught up in the flood while cars were submerged by the flood.

The flooding validated the prediction made by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), which warned that FCT and seven other states are prone to flash floods.

Some Nigerians called out Mr Wike following the Saturday floods, with some accusing him of allocating lands to politicians who erected buildings on waterways.

Demolition threat

In his comments, Mr Wike acknowledged that some residents including “senators” had blocked water channels with their buildings, a situation he said defied the Abuja master plan.

“Unfortunately, we have gone there, and we have seen how people have blocked channels,” he said.

According to him, previous warnings that the consequences of obstructing waterways might not be immediate should not be interpreted to mean that there would be no consequences.

“I have told people that nothing happened yesterday… does not mean that something will not happen today,” he said. “That it did not happen today does not mean it will not happen tomorrow.”

The minister said the recent flooding had exposed the seriousness of the problem and prompted authorities to take action against structures obstructing waterways.

“Now, you have done your own by blocking the water channel, and nothing has happened,” he continued. “Thank God the flood has come. You have drawn our attention to the place. Now something will happen.”

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Mr Wike vowed that houses found on water channels would be demolished.

According to him, any house found on waterways “will go down” starting from Tuesday to Saturday.

He said the enforcement would continue regardless of the electoral calendar.

Noting that some of the houses are owned by senators and “big men”, Mr Wike said that he would resist politicisation of the planned demolition.

He clarified that the demolition would go on regardless of the political calendar.

“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,” he said.

“Whether there’s election, there’s no election, all those houses will go down,” he reaffirmed. “Heaven will not fall. Rather, heaven will get peace that the right thing has been done.”