Abuja destructive flood: Estate developers, HDAN mull stakeholders’ meeting

No fewer than 166 houses were damaged by the recent flood in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Following the sad development, the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) and Housing Development Network of Nigeria (HDAN) are calling for a stakeholders’ meeting/roundtable discussion to arrest the situation and avert future occurrence. DAYO AYEYEMI, reports

It is no longer news that long hours of heavy downpour wrought outrageous damage in Lugbe Area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on September 12, 2021, affecting many housing estates along the corridor.

Some of the estates heavily flooded include Trademoore, Light Gold and Wisdom Estates and Lugbe community of the Federal Capital Territory, resulting in loss of lives, while many properties were affected in and around these estates.

According to Abuja’s residents, that was not the first time they were witnessing such devastating flood, saying it had remained like that in Lugbe for about 10 years now.

In what some people described as an annual ritual in the community, they also blamed insensitivity and compromise on the part of the FCT Administration and Development Control for their woe.

According to the reports by FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), over 26 vehicles, including an articulated towing van were swept away by the flood, besides a tarred road in Trademoore Estate that was completely washed away as a result of the strength of the flood water.

In total, it was reported that 166 houses were affected.

Lamenting the devastating flood, one of the staff of Trademoore, who did not want his name in print, said the estate is one of the biggest housing estates in the locality, explaining that due to the flooding issue, the location is gradually becoming a slum.

 

Experts’ views

Looking at the causes and ways out of the annual deluge, experts in the built environment, who are just coming out of the shocks following the damage caused by the flood, described the scene as “devastating, saddening, too bad.”

They, however, identified lack of physical planning, poor drainage infrastructure and encroachments on waterways by developers, failure of the Development Control to ensure proper physical planning and abuse of Abuja Master Plan, among others as causes of the disaster.

 

Stakeholders’ meeting

Already the damage has been done, but some housing pressure groups and home builders under the auspices of the Housing Development Network of Nigeria (HDAN) and Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) are calling for compulsory stakeholders’ meetings to arrest the situation and prevent future occurrence.

While REDAN is calling for a stakeholders’ meeting to address the identified loopholes, HDAN is seeking a roundtable discussion among all stakeholders in the sector.

According to the President of REDAN, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, the Federal Capital Territory Administration should call a stakeholders’ meeting so as to provide advice on what was supposed to be done, saying this remained the only way out of the problem.

Wamakko urged the FCT administration to set up a committee to look into how to bring sanity into the area.

Apart from this, the REDAN boss urged the government to provide basic infrastructure to prevent future occurrence, emphasising that the government had the exclusive reserve to put the needed infrastructure in place.

He said “I equally want to call on the government to understand that it is their duty to provide the needed infrastructure. This water flooding has been coming since 2011 till date and we are aware of last year’s when somebody lost his life.

“This water is coming from Lokogoma and it is not the amount of rain, but the source of the water that matters and the government should provide the infrastructure that will topple this problem by providing effective carnal that will now make this water to have a free flow than what is happening today.

“Julius Berger while constructing their bridges had connected most of their waterways in one place and that is why you are seeing this problem at this end. So, we call on the government to do the needful by making sure they provide the right infrastructure for this type of situation to be arrested once and for all,” Wammako explained.

The REDAN boss urged estate developers to ensure they respect extant laws in the aspect of building construction, pointing out that the association was ready to partner with the FCT authorities to find lasting solutions to the problem.

Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, Executive Director, Housing Development Network of Nigeria (HDAN), Mr Festus Adebayo, described the destruction  caused by the deluge as ‘very serious’, calling for a roundtable discussion involving  the estate developers along the axis, FCT administration and agencies in- charge of Development Control in the nation’s capital city

He said: “Government needs to set up a roundtable discussion involving  Ammac, Development Control, estate developers, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Trademoore Residents’ Association and their lawyers.

“There is a need to organise a forum to come up with accepted standards of what an estate should be.”

He expressed sadness over the flood’s incident, noting that the problem did not start now, but from the foundation.

He attributed construction of housing estates on waterways by developers as one of the major causes of the problem, adding that officials of Development Control, who are expected to sanitise the system, looked away.

“Some of the waterways have been mistakenly taken over by developers and Development Control is looking away. Massive people are affected along Voice of Nigeria and Airport road; they are displaced due to flooding. There are also new constructions ongoing.

“There are many estates and they are committing the same offence.  The problem is deep, it cannot not be solved in a day,” Adebayo said.

While advising  developers to always  be mindful of where they build beyond thinking of profit, the HDAN boss  called on the government to find a permanent solution to the problem of flooding in that particular location of the FCT.

Secondly, he said that citizens would need to be educated and sensitised to look out for these standards before buying a house.

“As you earlier observed, there is a lot of quackery and opportunism in real estate development in Nigeria, especially Abuja here. A lot needs to be done to standardise the practice,” he said.

 

FEMA’s response

The Director General FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),  Abbas Idriss,  called on  residents of the Federal Capital Territory, especially  estate developers to desist from violating the approved building codes in the capital city.

Besides, he appealed to them to stop erecting retention walls to protect storm water from flowing.

“By doing so they are causing more havoc to the community. We also call on all residents to always call the 112 toll-free Emergency number to get prompt response when there is any form of threat or danger, as the search and rescue team of the agency alongside other emergency stakeholders are on 24/7 alert,” he said.

While calling residents to avoid dumping of refuse in drainages, the director-general urged them to clear all surrounding drainages and other blockages that obstruct the free flow of water to reduce flood risk and its negative consequences. In addition, he said they should avoid driving or walking through flood water.

“Relocate to higher ground before being threatened by flood water for those who are living along the river banks.

Watch for sign posts on flood locations and also take seriously FEMA’s early warning sensitisation from the media and town criers,” the director-general said.

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