The residents of Trademore Estate, Lugbe Abuja have reacted to the reports in the media that two persons were in washed away in the estate by the flooding which occurred in Lugbe area on the 24th of June 2024.
Speaking to newsmen, a representative of the residents association Mr. Harold Idemudia stated that though some parts of the estate were flooded, no life was lost. He also debunked the claims by the FEMD Coordinator in FCT that houses were still being built in the estate and that thousands of properties had been destroyed by this flood.
He lamented the lack of concern by government in addressing the major infrastructure solution to the problem stating that the flooding had become recurrent because of the lack of drainage infrastructure in the entire lugbe axis, and the refusal to implement the engineering solutions earlier recommended by the Department of Erosion Control in the Ministry of environment to stop the flooding.
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“In 2022 the Department of Development Control demolished over 40 houses in this estate as a solution to the flooding. Unfortunately this has done nothing to solve the problem as the root cause has not been addressed. The channel outside the estate remains too narrow and as such the heavy flow passing through the estate is unable to freely flow out through the narrow channel built by the Ecological Project Office. This creates a major backflow which floods the estate. The culvert must be expanded into a proper bridge for the flood to stop” he stated.
According to Mr. Segun Akinjeji, another resident of the estate, after the demolition of over 40 houses in 2022 it became clear to the government that demolition was not the solution. “The Director of the Department of Erosion Control of the Federal Ministry of Environment Engr. G.J. Etigwe had visited the estate with his team and done a comprehensive assessment of the causes and solutions to the perennial flooding, and produced a report on it.
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The solutions recommended to be implemented by the developer had been done, but the part to be implemented by the government are yet to be implemented by the FCTA till date.” he stated. He called on the Honorable Minister of the FCT H.E Nyesom Wike to call for the comprehensive report from the Ministry of Environment and direct the immediate implementation of the recommendations therein to put a final halt to the perennial flooding in and around the estate.