Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the worsening flooding situation in Abuja, warning that the continued distortion of the Federal Capital Territory’s Master Plan poses a serious threat to the nation’s capital.

Adeyanju made the call in an open letter to the President following recent flooding across several parts of Abuja, which submerged homes and rendered major roads impassable.

He said the flooding could no longer be dismissed as an isolated consequence of heavy rainfall, noting that areas that historically experienced little or no flooding were increasingly becoming vulnerable.

“Abuja was conceived and planned as a modern capital city, with designated green areas, parks, gardens, recreational spaces, drainage corridors, canals and waterways as an integral part of its Master Plan,” Adeyanju said.

“These spaces were not created merely for aesthetic purposes but to serve critical environmental functions, including flood control and the preservation of the ecological balance of the city.”

According to him, the Abuja Master Plan is now under serious threat as green areas, parks, gardens, drainage corridors, canals and waterways originally preserved for environmental purposes are increasingly being converted or allocated for residential and other developments.

“The FCT Emergency Management Department has itself identified several communities as flood-prone areas, including Lokogoma/EFAB/iPent Estates, Galadimawa, Dogon-Gada, Lugbe, Maitama, Wuse, Garki, CBD, Asokoro, Guzape, Gwarinpa, Nyanya, Kubwa, Wari, Gwagwalada, Damagaza, Mabushi, Anthony Ikem Street, Blue Cabana axis, Kuje, Kwali, Abaji, Yangoji, and several other communities. This is an emergency!” he said.

Adeyanju argued that Abuja should not be a city where ordinary rainfall could suddenly transform major residential and commercial districts into flood zones.

“Abuja is not supposed to be a city where a relatively ordinary rainfall can suddenly turn major residential and commercial districts into flood zones,” he said.

He cited several locations as examples of what he described as the distortion of the city’s Master Plan, including the green area opposite Blake’s in Area 11, the green area around Rita Lori Hotel, where he alleged housing was developed for magistrates, the green area around MTN in Maitama, and the green area around the old Customs Office in Wuse Zone 3.

Adeyanju also alleged that a major canal in the Maitama area had been covered to make way for residential construction allegedly linked to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai.

He called for urgent scrutiny of such developments and stressed the importance of preserving spaces that may not appear economically productive in the short term but are essential to the long-term survival of the city.

“Former administrations and former FCT Ministers who resisted the temptation to convert every available piece of land into a development opportunity were not being foolish,” Adeyanju said.

“They understood that a city must preserve spaces that may appear economically unproductive today but are indispensable to its survival tomorrow.”

He therefore appealed to President Tinubu to direct a comprehensive review of land allocations and developments within designated green areas, parks, gardens, drainage corridors, canals and waterways across the FCT.

“I therefore respectfully call upon you Mr. President to urgently intervene and direct a comprehensive review of land allocations and developments within designated green areas, parks, gardens, drainage corridors, canals and waterways across the FCT,” he said.

Adeyanju stressed that the consequences of Abuja’s environmental challenges extend beyond residents of the FCT because the city hosts the Presidency, National Assembly, judiciary, foreign embassies, international organisations, diplomats and millions of Nigerians who live and work in the capital.

“Abuja is home to the nation’s most important institutions. It hosts the Presidency, the National Assembly, the judiciary, foreign embassies, international organisations, diplomats and millions of Nigerians who live and work within the city. The condition of Abuja therefore has implications far beyond the residents of the FCT,” he said.

He warned that continued construction over the city’s green spaces, drainage corridors, canals and waterways could eventually expose even areas surrounding the seat of government to severe flooding.

“If we continue to build over the city’s green spaces, drainage corridors, canals and waterways, there may come a day when even the areas around Aso Rock are not spared from flooding. God forbid that such a thing happens,” Adeyanju said. (AriseNews TV)

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