Plateau State Government intensifies demolition of illegal structures on water ways in response to Impending Flood Warning

Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria recently placed 31 of the 36 State of the Federal on red alert of impending flooding in the country. According to the Federal Government, the flooding was expected to affect 148 LGAs across the 31 State.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, stated this in the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook. The states according to him should heed the warning and keep their people and properties away from flood disasters.

Drawing lessons from the past and recent reports of flood disasters in Kano, Taraba, and Lagos among other states. This lays necessity on the state and federal governments to join forces to ensure that flooding, which is now a national emergency is managed.

Also speaking at an event, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, an agency of the Federal Government, disclosed that a total of 148 local government areas in Lagos, Kano, Delta, and 28 other states had been categorised as high flood-risk areas. The minister said some areas in 31 states were categorised as high flood-risk locations, while others in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory would witness moderate flood.

“The high flood-risk states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe,” the minister said.

In response to this, the Plateau State Government swung into action by distilling drainages and clearing water ways across the Jos – Bukuru Metropolis. Shanties and illegal structures have not been spared in the bid to ensure public safety of lives and property.

The attention of the Director General of the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA) Mr Samuel Dapiya and that of the General Manager of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) Arch Hart Bankat were called to ongoing illegal construction of houses along water ways beneath the British America – Double Dollar Connecting Bridge. In their usual collaborative action, the duo were at it again distilling the drainage that was completely blocked with laterite to create an illegal road into the area, as well as the removal of structures already erected within the vicinity.

Speaking to journalists on Friday 3rd May 2024 at the scene of the demolition, the Director General of PEPSA Mr Samuel Dapiya lamented the effrontery with some unidentified person blocked a drainage with a trip sand to create an illegal path way in the area to erect illegal structures without approvals. He noted the resource government has so far invested in distilling drainages and clearing waters ways and wondered why people will just decide to completely block a drainage. He said that government will not relent in ensuring that water ways and drainages are cleared as a proactive measure to prevent future flooding.

General Manager of JMDB Arch Hart Bankat noted that he and his agency sounded notes of warning to residents to always seek approvals before building. “And we had always insisted that you must seek approvals before you excavate the ground. For you to get any form of approval, the building site will be inspected, and then it will be analyzed, and then approval given. And you can clearly see that all these buildings don’t have approvals, and they are on a waterway.”

“We’ve suffered flooding in this same area. That time they had built with mud. Now they had gone ahead to build with bricks. And then if anything happens now, everybody will be saying, government needs to take responsibility. Government needs to salvage the city situation. But I keep telling people, if you have money to buy cement and you have money to buy sand and you have money to buy blocks, it is not too much for you to seek government’s approval to do the right thing, and you could afford to buy land?”

Also speaking to journalists at scene, Plateau State Commissioner of Information, Hon Musa Ashom added that the action was in response to a letter from the Federal Ministry for Water Resources warning the Plateau State Government to ensure that all structures and persons on water ways be removed in preparation of an impending flooding in 2023.

“There is a letter from the Ministry of Water Resources cautioning Plateau state that there’s going to be flooding if we do not take care. And you know that this is a river bank. And for those of you that have been journalists on the plateau for a while, you’ve reported flooding in this community. And you know, these belts and recall where the Dilimi river flow has always been prone to flooding.”

“And as commissioner of information, when these floods happen, they begin to ask you questions. Where are your reliefs? So we have brought here relief even before the flood, so that people will not kill themselves. Like I said earlier on, people must be governed. And the essence of governance is the protection of lives and properties, the welfare of the people. And that’s what we are doing in the interest of the people, so that we don’t have flooding and we begin to cry.”

“So this is pro activism on the part of Jos Metropolitan Development Board, the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency and all, even Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. So it is a collage of different ministries, departments and agencies. And in the interest of our people, we are demolishing the structures. First, they are on waterways. Secondly, they do not have plants. Thirdly, you can see how the buildings are.”

The enforcement team then proceeded to areas like Dogo Karfe, Old Airport Junction, Bukuru Market, Maiadiko and other areas with illegal roadside obstructions to enlighten them to move their structures in order to create space for vehicular and human navigation.