FCTA Begins City-Wide Drain Desilting After Abuja Floods, Warns Against Illegal Structures and Vandalism

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has launched a city-wide drainage clearance operation following heavy torrential rainfall that triggered flash floods and submerged major roads across parts of Abuja, including the Airport Expressway and Lugbe axis.

In a statement, the acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Mr Richard Dauda, said the exercise was directed by the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, after Tuesday’s downpour caused severe traffic gridlock and public outcry over the state of the capital’s drainage infrastructure.

Dauda explained that while the recent rainfall was consistent with meteorological warnings and climate change trends, the Abuja Master Plan had always recognised areas including the Airport Expressway corridor as flood plains.

He noted that resilient infrastructure was originally built to handle high water volumes but had been severely compromised by human activities.

“Some of these drainage facilities over time have been silted. Part of the cause is residents dumping refuse into drainage channels. When rain falls, it washes down polythene bags, waste, and even large objects that block the outlets,” Dauda said.

The FCDA boss identified illegal development and vandalism as two major factors aggravating the flooding.

He pointed to a triple-cell box culvert along the expressway designed to discharge water from the Galadima Roundabout, which had been illegally constricted downstream by a private developer who constructed retaining walls to expand a personal plot.

“What that causes is that the volume of water that ought to pass no longer passes, causing detention, backflow, and eventual flooding. To restore adequate discharge capacity, we must remove the structures built by this developer,” Dauda warned.

Dauda also decried the theft of metal gully inlet covers by vandals, which allows large debris to flow directly into underground drains instead of being sieved at the surface. “When vandals steal these covers, it’s like stealing from yourself as a taxpayer,” he remarked.

To permanently curb the theft, Dauda disclosed that the FCDA is exploring replacement materials made from non-recyclable compounds rather than steel or cast iron.

Dauda confirmed that workers were already desilting trapezoidal drains, U-channels and culvert outlets along the Airport Expressway, with plans to reconstruct damaged sections where necessary.

He urged Abuja residents to stop dumping refuse into waterways, warning that government infrastructure can only protect the city if public cooperation is guaranteed.

The intervention comes amid renewed concerns from residents, with many along the Lugbe and ACO communities recounting how floodwaters entered their homes and made movement impossible during the recent downpour.

The FCTA is expected to extend the clearance operation to other flood-prone areas across the territory as the rainy season reaches its peak.