By Our Correspondent<\/p>\n
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has blamed years of violations of the Abuja Master Plan for the devastating flooding along the Airport Road corridor and Lokogoma, declaring that all structures obstructing waterways will be demolished.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a media chat on Tuesday, Wike said the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) had launched a full-scale investigation into the flooding to determine its causes and identify permanent solutions.<\/p>\n
He disclosed that immediately after receiving reports of the incident, he directed the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Director of Development Control to inspect the affected areas, including Airport Road, Lugbe and Lokogoma.<\/p>\n
According to the minister, the investigation will establish whether the flooding resulted from human activities or natural causes.<\/p>\n
He noted that while man-made problems can be addressed, natural disasters require different interventions, making a thorough assessment necessary.<\/p>\n
Although he acknowledged that the recent rainfall in Abuja was unusually intense, Wike said preliminary findings showed that widespread violations of the Abuja Master Plan had significantly worsened the flooding.<\/p>\n
He explained that several buildings were illegally erected on natural waterways and designated road corridors without proper approvals, obstructing the natural flow of water.<\/p>\n
The minister vowed that the FCTA would strictly enforce the Abuja Master Plan and remove every structure found blocking waterways, particularly along the Airport Road corridor.<\/p>\n
He identified Lugbe as one of the worst affected areas, saying developers had consistently ignored planning regulations by constructing buildings without approval and encroaching on roads and drainage channels.<\/p>\n
Wike also revealed that the administration had begun disciplinary action against officials who aided illegal developments on green areas and waterways.
\nHe disclosed that a director had been suspended under civil service regulations for issuing unauthorised temporary approvals to businesses operating on designated green areas, while another official was sanctioned for unlawfully reallocating park land under the guise of security clearance.<\/p>\n
The minister dismissed claims that some buildings slated for demolition had government approval, insisting that approvals secured through undue influence or issued in violation of established policies would not protect owners from enforcement.<\/p>\n
He maintained that government policy prohibits any form of development on green areas and waterways, stressing that such illegal approvals would not be recognised.<\/p>\n
On infrastructure delivery, Wike assured residents that every ongoing project awarded under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, as well as inherited projects, would be completed before the end of the administration’s tenure.<\/p>\n
He said 76 of the 107 road projects awarded by the current administration in the FCT had already been completed, while another 10 would be delivered before the forthcoming elections.<\/p>\n
The minister further disclosed 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, while also reviving abandoned projects dating back to the Olusegun Obasanjo era.<\/p>\n
He described the feat as unprecedented since 1999, saying no previous FCT administration had awarded and completed such a high number of projects, adding that records of the achievements had been made public through national television broadcasts.<\/p>\n
Defending the Federal Government’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, Wike urged Nigerians to demand accountability from state and local governments, which now receive increased federal allocations.<\/p>\n
He cited the revival of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit system and major road infrastructure projects across the FCT as evidence that the policy was yielding visible benefits.<\/p>\n
The minister also criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recent comments on restoring fuel subsidy, arguing that attention should instead focus on how states have utilised the additional funds generated by the subsidy removal.<\/p>\n
According to him, the reforms have enabled states to pay salaries and pensions more regularly, while governments now have greater capacity to execute projects and public universities have enjoyed uninterrupted academic activities.<\/p>\n
Wike also paid tribute to his late political associate, Chief Dan Orbih, describing him as a principled and courageous leader who remained steadfast despite intense political pressure.
\nHe recalled visiting Orbih at the London Clinic before his death and admitted that the loss had deeply affected him.<\/p>\n
On Rivers State politics, the minister reaffirmed his commitment to political stability in the state, revealing that key political stakeholders had united under a “Rainbow Coalition” in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while dismissing the chances of a divided opposition in future elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Our Correspondent The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has blamed years of violations of the Abuja Master Plan for the devastating flooding along the Airport Road corridor and Lokogoma, declaring that all structures obstructing waterways will be demolished. Speaking during a media chat on Tuesday, Wike said the Federal Capital […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-crime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17360"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17361,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17360\/revisions\/17361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}