On Monday, residents of the Trademore estate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja's Lugbe area came to the streets to protest the scheduled building demolitions.
In order to tackle the area's recurrent flooding, they carried placards with various messages urging the authorities to fix the waterways rather than demolish buildings.
The estate was designated a disaster area by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) last week as a result of the estate being severely flooded on June 23, 2023, which trapped people and flooded their homes.
Buildings along the estate's canals and in other parts of Abuja will be pulled down, according to FCTA officials.
The FCTA claimed that some structures are blocking water from running freely via its natural path, which is the cause of the flooding in several areas of the city, in a statement signed by its executive secretary, Shehu Ahmed, on Sunday.
“People are clamouring that we act quickly and take tough decisions to save lives, and this is what we must do. We cannot act as though we don’t see this man-made problem caused by those who violate the Abuja master plan,” Ahmed said.
“Buildings in Trademore Estate had been severely marked for demolition. Warnings have been given year after year but the occupants of the estate keep risking their lives and those of others.
“By declaring Trademore a disaster zone, we have told the residents there to evacuate. The area is in a low-line zone which is not safe. Flooding can come at any time.
“They know this and have been experiencing it over the years,” the FCTA executive secretary stressed.
Ahmed who also doubles as the chairman of the special ministerial task force team on flood mitigation said a police station alongside other buildings will be demolished.
The estate, according to Ahmed, lacked a development plan that the FCDA approved, and the location, which has repeatedly flooded, is better left as a green space rather than a residential area.
He added that the estate was only one of the sites being targeted and that different parts in the FCT with buildings situated next to flood plains would also see demolitions.
