Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu
He urged the President 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.
His open letter reads;
OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BOLA TIBUBU REGARDING THE RECENT FLOODING IN ABUJA AND THE THREAT TO NIGERIA’S CAPITAL CITY
This is an urgent appeal concerning the rapidly deteriorating environmental and infrastructural condition of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
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. 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.
Today, that master plan is under serious threat as recent flooding witnessed across the city can no longer be treated as an isolated consequence of heavy rainfall. Areas that historically did not experience significant flooding are now increasingly vulnerable with homes submerged and roads rendered impassable.
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!
Abuja is not supposed to be a city where a relatively ordinary rainfall can suddenly turn major residential and commercial districts into flood zones. Areas originally preserved under the Abuja Master Plan as green areas, gardens, parks, drainage corridors and waterways have been converted or allocated for residential and other developments. For example, the green area opposite Blake’s in Area 11; the green area around Rita Lori Hotel, where housing was reportedly developed for magistrates; the green area around MTN in Maitama; and the green area around the old Customs Office in Wuse Zone 3, covering of a major canal in the Maitama area to make way for the construction of residential buildings allegedly linked to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai, among others are few examples of distortion of Abuja master plan.
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. They understood that a city must preserve spaces that may appear economically unproductive today but are indispensable to its survival tomorrow.
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.
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.
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.
Yours faithfully,
DEJI ADEYANJU, ESQ.
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