The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lere Olayinka, has defended the FCT Administration over Saturday’s flooding in parts of Abuja, saying the problem predates the assumption of office of the Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Olayinka, in a statement issued on Monday, also accused the lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju of politicising the incident, while stating that the Administration was already taking steps to address the recurring problem.
The aide said the heavy rainfall on Saturday produced flooding in some parts of the capital, and that the water later receded.
“There was heavy downpour in Abuja on Saturday, and consequently, some areas got heavily flooded. The flood remained for a while after the rainfall and disappeared,” he said.
He said the Administration was alive to the problem, and used the same passage to criticise the activist.
“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,” he said.
Olayinka put a question to the critics of the Administration.
“When there was flood in Abuja in 2019, as reported in the media, was it Wike that caused it?” he asked.
He set out the record as he recalled it. “Sad reality is that Abuja has been witnessing floods long before Wike assumed office. In 2019, heavy rainfall flooded sections of Wuse, Jabi and Lokogoma. In 2022, the same pattern returned: Lokogoma district, Efab Estate, Gudu axis and connecting bridges were overwhelmed.”
He said the latest episode should be read against the capital’s growth. “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.”
The aide also attributed part of the problem to the vandalism of drainage infrastructure.
“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.
Olayinka said the Administration was revisiting the capital’s founding plan. “To address this, the FCT Administration is already reviewing the 1979 Abuja Master Plan to accommodate the new realities of the capital city,” he said.
He added that a technical measure had been introduced against the vandalism he described. “Drainage covers that will be impossible for scavengers to remove are also being used,” he said.
He rejected any suggestion that the problem was being ignored. “The flooding does not mean the FCT Administration is ignoring the problem. We will continue to address drainage, waste management and urban planning challenges to make Abuja better prepared for heavy rainfall,” he said.
The statement comes amid renewed public attention to flooding in the capital following Saturday’s downpour, with the incident reigniting debate over drainage infrastructure, urban planning, waste disposal and flood management in the Federal Capital Territory.
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