Car dealerships that have occupied parks and green areas across Abuja must vacate immediately, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike directed. The instruction, announced in a statement signed on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, singles out the conversion of recreation zones, including Millennium Park, into vehicle lots as unacceptable.
The FCT Administration says the move is part of a wider response to recent flooding across the city. Wike has linked unauthorised development of green spaces and waterways to the scale of flood damage, and has ordered an investigation into civil servants alleged to have granted illegal approvals for such conversions.
To enforce the ban, the administration has created a Task Force charged with monitoring and removing unauthorised uses of parks and recreational land. Olayinka’s statement added that the Head of Service, Nancy Nathan, has summoned directors from the Departments of Parks and Recreation, Environmental Protection, Traffic Management and Urban Affairs for questioning, signalling potential disciplinary or administrative follow-up.
The directive follows a heavy downpour on Saturday that flooded parts of the Federal Capital Territory, including Wuse 2, and areas of Durumi, Gaduwa, Gudu and Maitama. The minister inspected flood-hit Maitama and ordered demolition of buildings constructed on natural waterways and flood channels across the FCT, steps the administration says are necessary to prevent repeat damage.
Residents and motorists were left stranded during the storms, with some vehicles developing mechanical faults and homes submerged in portions of Maitama, according to reports. The administration attributed much of the disruption to construction along waterways and blocked drainage channels, further tying the crackdown on illegal car lots to the broader effort to restore the city’s drainage and flood management capacity.
The combined measures, enforcement by a new Task Force and investigations into approvals, make clear the FCT Administration intends immediate action. The coming days will reveal how quickly occupied lots are cleared and whether administrative probes produce sanctions or reversals of past approvals.
