By Barbara Nwaiwu
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has taken steps to address flooding affecting some parts of Abuja following Saturday’s downpour.
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.
Olayinka was responding to comments attributed to lawyer Deji Adeyanju, who criticised FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over the flooding. He said the water that flooded some areas after Saturday’s rainfall had receded after the downpour.
He said the FCT Administration was aware of the development and had taken steps to prevent a recurrence, while describing Adeyanju’s comments as “very unfortunate”.
Olayinka said the flooding was not a new occurrence in Abuja, noting that the capital city had experienced similar incidents before Wike assumed office.
“The sad reality is that Abuja has been witnessing flooding long before Wike assumed office,” he said.
He recalled that heavy rainfall in 2019 flooded sections of Wuse, Jabi and Lokogoma, while in 2022, Lokogoma District, Efab Estate, the Gudu axis and connecting bridges were overwhelmed by flooding.
Olayinka said the latest flooding highlighted challenges associated with Abuja’s rapid expansion, particularly drainage infrastructure, waste management and enforcement of planning rules.
“Therefore, the flood witnessed last Saturday was another reminder of the seasonal reality of a rapidly expanding city with drainage infrastructure, waste management and enforcement of planning rules not keeping pace with growth.”
He also pointed to the activities of scavengers, alleging that the removal of drainage covers was exposing drainage channels to refuse.
“It is also a pointer to damages being caused by scavengers who are daily stealing drainage covers, thereby exposing the drainage to refuse,” he said.
To address the challenge, Olayinka said the FCTA had commenced a review of the 1979 Abuja Master Plan to accommodate new realities in the capital city.
