In response to the recent FCT flood crisis, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has conducted an inspection tour of flood-affected locations in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday morning following weekend downpours.
During the visit, Wike inspected a blocked drainage channel where a building was erected despite the plot’s allocation being revoked over a decade ago.
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, shared footage of the inspection on X, clarifying that the site was a designated water channel whose allocation had been officially revoked back in 2011.
“FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, visited some of the flooded areas in Maitama, Abuja, this morning.
“The spot here is a Drainage Area. It was allocated, but REVOKED in 2011. Structure was built on it,” Olayinka wrote.
The video showed the minister, accompanied by officials, touring the site, where a sign read: “DRAINAGE AREA KEEP OFF! NOTE – PLOT 4508 A06 REVOKED (22/12/2011) DUE TO OVERRIDING PUBLIC INTEREST. F.C.T.”
The inspection comes amid heightened public debate over the root causes of the severe flooding that submerged parts of Maitama and surrounding Abuja neighbourhoods following Saturday’s torrential rainfall.
Residents, urban planners, and critics have pointed to obstructed natural waterways, illegal development on designated green spaces, and inadequate drainage infrastructure as key factors exacerbating the city’s flood vulnerability.
In response, Lere Olayinka issued a statement defending the Federal Capital Territory Administration, emphasizing that flooding in Abuja is a long-standing issue that predates Wike’s tenure as minister.
Backstory…
Meanwhile this comes as Senator Ireti Kingibe, of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has attributed the escalating FCT flood crisis to illegal construction on green areas, natural flood plains, and designated drainage routes.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, the senator warned that blocking natural water channels and streams significantly reduces the city’s drainage capacity during heavy rainfall.
Kingibe criticized ongoing developments that deviate from the original Abuja master plan, noting that she has engaged key FCT authorities to address these structural violations and mitigate future flooding across the territory.
Read Also: Kingibe Accuses FCT Minister of Worsening Flood Crisis
