Abuja Flooding: Lawyer Adeyanju Asks Tinubu To Save Nigerian Capital From Environmental Disaster | Sahara Reporters

Adeyanju made the call in an open letter addressed to the President over the “rapidly deteriorating environmental and infrastructural condition” of the Federal Capital Territory.

Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has asked President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the worsening flooding and distortion of Abuja’s original Master Plan, warning that Nigeria’s capital city could face a far more serious environmental disaster if green areas, drainage corridors, canals and waterways continue to be converted for development.

Adeyanju made the call in an open letter addressed to the President over the “rapidly deteriorating environmental and infrastructural condition” of the Federal Capital Territory.

His intervention comes amid renewed flood warnings in the FCT.

The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has previously acknowledged that encroachments on waterways and other spaces reserved under the Abuja Master Plan have contributed to flooding, particularly in areas such as Lokogoma.

The FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) also warned in July 2026 that communities including Gwagwalada, Mabushi and Lokogoma remained vulnerable to flooding as the rainy season intensified.

Adeyanju argued that the flooding should no longer be viewed simply as a consequence of heavy rainfall, saying the increasing vulnerability of residential and commercial districts points to deeper problems with urban planning, drainage and environmental management.

“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.

According to him, those spaces were not created merely for aesthetic purposes but were designed to perform critical environmental functions, including flood control and the preservation of the ecological balance of the city.

He warned that the original planning principles of Abuja were now under serious threat.

“Areas that historically did not experience significant flooding are now increasingly vulnerable, with homes submerged and roads rendered impassable,” he said.

Adeyanju noted that the FEMD had identified several communities across the FCT as flood-prone areas.

They include Lokogoma/EFAB/iPent Estates, Galadimawa, Dogon-Gada, Lugbe, Maitama, Wuse, Garki, the Central Business District (CBD), Asokoro, Guzape, Gwarinpa, Nyanya, Kubwa, Wari, Gwagwalada, Damagaza, Mabushi, Anthony Ikem Street, the Blue Cabana axis, Kuje, Kwali, Abaji and Yangoji, among others.

He questioned how a city designed as Nigeria’s modern capital could increasingly experience flooding after rainfall that would ordinarily not have produced such widespread disruption.

“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.

Adeyanju blamed part of the problem on the conversion and allocation of areas originally preserved under the Abuja Master Plan as green areas, gardens, parks, drainage corridors and waterways for residential and other developments.

His concerns are consistent with warnings from the FCDA, which has stated that the Abuja Master Plan reserves spaces for roads, waterways and sewer lines and that encroachments on such areas have contributed to flooding.

The FCDA has also previously ordered the removal of obstructions along watercourses, identifying constricted waterways and inadequate hydraulic infrastructure as factors contributing to flooding in parts of the capital.

Adeyanju cited several locations which, according to him, illustrate the distortion of Abuja’s original planning framework.

Among them, he mentioned the green area opposite Blake’s in Area 11; the green area around Rita Lori Hotel, where he said 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.

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

Adeyanju argued that previous administrations and former FCT ministers who resisted pressure to convert every available parcel of land into a development opportunity understood the importance of preserving environmentally sensitive areas.

“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,” he said.

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

Adeyanju therefore called on President Tinubu to order an immediate and comprehensive review of land allocations and developments 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.

He stressed that the problem extends beyond residents of Abuja because the Federal Capital Territory houses the country’s most important political, judicial and diplomatic institutions.

“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,” he said.

“The condition of Abuja therefore has implications far beyond the residents of the FCT.”

Adeyanju warned that continued encroachment on environmentally sensitive areas could eventually expose even the most important parts of the capital to serious 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,” he said.

SaharaReporters previously reported that floodwaters had taken over Maitama Extension in Abuja, with residents saying the flooding worsened after a major canal in the area was covered to make way for the construction of buildings allegedly linked to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai.

The flooding has reportedly affected several properties in the area, including the residence of Kano State Deputy Governor, Murtala Garo, and the residence of a former Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Ehigiator Arase, leaving residents worried about the safety of their families and properties.

Residents who spoke to SaharaReporters described the situation as a direct consequence of the obstruction and covering of a major canal that had previously served as a channel for stormwater.

According to the residents, the canal was covered and development was subsequently carried out on a green area and the canal corridor.

“They covered a very big canal,” one of the affected residents told SaharaReporters while describing what residents believe contributed to the flooding.

“And this is the result,” the resident added, pointing to the floodwaters that have taken over parts of the neighbourhood.

The resident identified the flooded property as the residence of Kano State Deputy Governor and former Inspector-General of Police.