MAITAMA FLOOD: DEMOLITION OF HOUSES ON WATERWAYS COMMENCES, AS WIKE DECLARES 2027 WILL BE EASIER FOR TINUBU

​By: Wisdom Acka, Gift Olumuji and Jesulayomi Olukomogbon

​Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), HE. Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate demolition of houses on waterways that obstruct natural water flow, leading to floods in Maitama and other flood-prone areas within the city.

​Wike, who issued the directive after inspecting flood-affected areas in Maitama on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, explained that the demolition would commence immediately and continue until Saturday, regardless of the ongoing political activities or the status of the owners of the affected properties.

Demolition of the structures has already commenced at the time of filing this story.

​The Minister stated that the government would no longer tolerate obstruction of waterways by property owners, warning that the exercise would affect all structures found to have been built on designated water channels.

​His words: “We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are senators. Some of them are big men.

​”Whether there is election or there is no election, all those houses will go down. Heaven will not fall. Rather, heaven will be at peace that the right thing has been done,” he insisted.

​The Minister stressed that the recent flooding has exposed several man-made factors contributing to flooding in the capital city, including the construction of buildings on waterways, blocking of drainage channels, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, and failure by relevant officials to properly supervise developments and desilt drainage systems.

​”Unfortunately, we have gone there, and we have seen how people have blocked channels where, in the Master Plan, are the right ways water is supposed to be channelled,” he said.

​According to him, the affected structures were not recently constructed and were largely owned by wealthy Nigerians, stressing that government would no longer allow social status to prevent enforcement of development regulations.

​”All those built-up areas that were not supposed to be built up, not a single poor person will live there. Those houses are houses built by well-to-do Nigerians. Those houses are not houses that were built last week. Those houses have been there 10 years ago, eight years ago,” he emphasized.

​The Minister also stated that previous administrations might not have had the political will to enforce the regulations, while some government officials may also have failed to carry out their responsibilities effectively, declaring that the present FCT Administration has the political will to tackle the situation.

​”And let nobody make the mistake that this government lacks the political will to do anything. The person must be making a very big mistake. If there is one Minister that has that political will, I have. I have the political will,” he stated.

​Wike also rejected attempts to politicise the recent flooding, arguing that flooding was not a new phenomenon in Abuja or other major cities around the world.

​He said while the intensity of rainfall experienced recently could be linked partly to climate change and natural factors, human activities had also contributed significantly to the flooding.

​Wike further explained that flood could be a natural disaster, citing flooding incidents in cities such as Dubai, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

​”We are in a climate change period. The kind of rains we have experienced, or we are experiencing now, we have not experienced before. But that is not to say that there are no man-made factors. There are.”

​Wike identified the construction of buildings on waterways, development in areas not designated for construction, failure to desilt drainage systems, and indiscriminate disposal of waste as major human factors responsible for flooding.

​Directing the relevant FCT authorities to commence immediate desilting of identified drainage systems, the Minister also appealed to residents, traders, and other members of the public to stop dumping refuse into drainage channels.

​He dismissed criticisms from political commentators over the flooding and the FCT Administration’s response, saying he would not be distracted by political considerations.

​”I don’t want to reply to political commentators. I don’t want to reply to people who think that appearing on TV will give them an edge to win an election that they have lost. No,” he said.

​Wike maintained that the Administration has recorded significant achievements in the past three years, while acknowledging that more challenges remained to be addressed.

“Nobody can diminish what this Administration has done in the past three years. Nobody can diminish it.

​”This Administration has done very well as far as the Federal Capital Territory is concerned. That does not mean that I can claim that it has solved all problems, no. Are there problems? Yes. Have they solved major problems? Yes. Will they continue to solve problems? Yes,” he declared.

​He also defended the Administration’s record on the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy (Cs-of-O), saying 26,272 Cs-of-O had been signed within the past three years, compared with about 7,000 signed by two previous administrations over 13 years.

​Wike urged critics to assess the Administration based on its overall performance rather than use the flooding incident to discredit its achievements.

​He said enforcement of development regulations should not be suspended because of political activities. “Now you have done your own by blocking the water channel and nothing has happened. Thank God the flood has come. It has drawn our attention to the place. Now something will happen,” he said.

​”I’m going to bring those houses down. Any house that’s found on the water channel will go down.” He directed the FCT Development Control Department to ensure that there was no delay in carrying out the demolition.

“From today to Saturday, if Development Control delays, let them find any excuse to run away. They cannot,” Wike warned.

​The Minister also criticised the conversion of designated green areas in the capital into other uses, insisting that the Administration would protect Abuja’s environmental assets.

​Wike assured that the Administration would continue focusing on solving problems in the FCT rather than engaging in political arguments, adding that residents who genuinely drew the government’s attention to problems in their communities would be listened to.

​”My interest is, we will continue to do the right thing in the FCT. No one will stop us,” he said.

Commenting on national political issues, the Minister declared that President Bola Tinubu would have it easier in the forthcoming general elections.

He based his argument on the fact that there was no strong opposition, adding that opposition has been deflated.