Wike inspects flooded FCT areas, uncovers illegal structure on revoked waterway

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Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike on Tuesday morning visited some areas affected by weekend flooding in Maitama, Abuja.

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During the visit, he inspected a designated drainage channel where a structure had been erected despite the plot’s revocation more than a decade ago.

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The Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, who shared video footage of the inspection on X, said the location was a drainage area that had been allocated but revoked in 2011.

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“FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, visited some of the flooded areas in Maitama, Abuja, this morning.

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“The spot here is a Drainage Area. It was allocated, but REVOKED in 2011. Structure was built on it,” Olayinka wrote.

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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.”

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The inspection comes amid public debate over the causes of flooding that affected parts of Abuja, including Maitama, following heavy rainfall on Saturday.

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Residents and critics have pointed to blocked waterways, construction on green areas and inadequate drainage as aggravating factors.

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In a statement issued on Monday, Olayinka defended the FCT Administration, insisting that flooding in the capital predates Wike’s tenure.n

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He said the heavy downpour caused temporary flooding in some areas that later receded, and accused activist Deji Adeyanju of politicising the incident by blaming the minister.

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“Even though the FCT Administration under Nyesom Wike, is mindful of this development and is taking steps to forestall future occurrence, it is funny that characters like this Online Baseless Lawyer who is always looking for attention has been shouting WIKE HAS DESTROYED ABUJA since yesterday, as if last Saturday was the first time some areas in Abuja got flooded,” Olayinka’s statement partly read.

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He cited flooding incidents recorded in parts of Wuse, Jabi and Lokogoma in 2019, as well as Lokogoma, Efab Estate, Gudu and adjoining bridges in 2022.

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Olayinka attributed some of the challenges to the rapid expansion of the Federal Capital Territory, saying drainage infrastructure, waste management and enforcement of planning regulations had not kept pace with the city’s growth.

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He also blamed the removal of drainage covers by scavengers, saying this exposed drainage channels to refuse.

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According to him, the FCT Administration is reviewing the 1979 Abuja Master Plan to reflect current realities and has begun installing drainage covers designed to make them more difficult to remove.

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