The Senate, on Wednesday, halted a move to summon the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over allegations of worsening waste management, sewage failures, and the purported unlawful revocation and conversion of designated green areas in Abuja, citing procedural breaches.

The motion, sponsored by Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe (LP, FCT), sought urgent Senate intervention in what she described as a sanitation and environmental crisis in the nation’s capital, alongside alleged violations of the Abuja Master Plan and the seizure of land belonging to Bwari General Hospital.

Leading the debate under Orders 41 and 51, which permit the raising of urgent matters without prior notice, Kingibe warned that municipal waste collection in several parts of Abuja had collapsed, resulting in the accumulation of refuse in residential, commercial, and public spaces for weeks.

She attributed the situation to non-payment of workers and contractors under the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and other FCT agencies for about nine months.

According to her, former waste management contractors were owed between March and October 2025, while new contracts awarded in mid-November retained only half of the previous operators.

She added that the newly engaged contractors had informed the FCT Minister that operations could not commence without a 30 per cent mobilisation fee, further delaying waste collection and sewage services.

Kingibe cautioned that sewage blockages and uncollected waste had built up for nearly eight months, exposing residents to serious sanitation and public health risks, including waterborne diseases and environmental contamination.

She also accused the FCT Administration of undermining the Abuja Master Plan through the conversion of designated green areas meant to serve as environmental buffers and service corridors for utilities.

The senator alleged that some revocations and reallocations were carried out despite pending court cases, naming the University of Abuja as a major casualty, with about 7,000 hectares of its original land reportedly taken over or reallocated.

However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio ruled that the motion was procedurally defective.

He explained that while Kingibe had notified the Senate leadership of a motion on rising solid waste and its health implications, she expanded her submissions to include land revocation and other issues not covered by the notice.

“The order cited permits debate on a specific urgent matter. To address all the other issues raised, a substantive motion on notice is required,” Akpabio said.

Support for the motion also waned during the debate. Senator Tahir Monguno (Borno North), who initially backed the call to summon the FCT Minister, withdrew his support.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin dismissed the allegations against Wike as unfounded, arguing that the minister’s achievements in Abuja were visible.

“There are now developments in the FCT. The current minister has changed the face of Abuja. You cannot solve all problems at the same time,” Jibrin said, urging engagement through the relevant Senate committees instead.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also called for the withdrawal of the motion on procedural grounds, advising that the issues be reintroduced through a properly constituted substantive motion.

Following the interventions, Akpabio asked Kingibe to withdraw the motion and re-present it in line with Senate rules.

She complied, pledging to bring it back as a substantive motion focused on waste management. (The Nation)

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