By Mimidoo Patrick
Following a recent flooding that led to the destrusction of properties worth millions of nairia in Lokogoma District area of the nation’s capital, the Federal Capital Development Control (FCDA) has vowed to demolish all illegal structures within the city.
The Director of Engineering Services, FCDA, Mr Shehu Hadi Ahmad who stated this in a statement issued in Abuja, also urged residents whose houses are located on waterways to vacate.
Ahmad who represented the Executive Secretary FCDA led a team of engineers from FCDA to see the incident.
He said, “While we sympathize with residents of the area over some of the very unfortunate but avoidable occurrences, we want to call on those whose houses are sitting on river courses/waterways to vacate immediately or face wrath of the law.”
The statement said the FCT Administration has an obligation to protect the lives and properties of all FCT residents.
It noted, “FCT Administration will spare no effort in restoring sanity to the Mass Housing Scheme of the Federal Government in the FCT including the removal of all illegal development.”
It would be recalled that a similar incident occurred on July, 17, 2017 leading to the death of a man and his two children.
The incident, which elicited grave concerns for Abuja residents whereupon the former Minister of the FCT, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello directed the FCDA to carry out some emergency palliative work in the affected locations.
In response to the directive, necessary palliative works were undertaken at the point where the sad incident took place, as well as the construction of a single lane asphalt paved road at main entry point along the Ring Road II junction leading into Lokogoma.
The emergency work was handled by Gilmor Nigeria Ltd.
Already, contract for the permanent solution is being processed for award under the FY2019 FCT Statutory Budget which was recently passed by the 8th NASS now awaiting assent by the president.
It is said that despite this immediate intervention works, a permanent solution to the flooding menace in Lokogoma is the removal of all illegal and/or encroaching structures erected on water courses in the area.
A Ministerial Committee which previously undertook an assessment of the causes of the flooding revealed that the flooding is caused by the activities of developers of some of the estates who diverted the natural course of River Kabusa and equally constricted the River Wumba within the environs.
This development has substantially narrowed the right of way of the waterway and hence resulting in flooding of the area.