Odita Sunday 
HURIWA to Tinubu: Save Abuja Before It Drowns, Probe Alleged Conversion of Green Areas, Canals
By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in alleged encroachment on Abuja’s environmental infrastructure, warning that the conversion of designated green areas, canals and drainage corridors for private development could worsen flooding and pose a serious threat to public safety.
HURIWA’s call followed a petition received from a concerned resident alleging that about 20 duplexes are being constructed on a designated green area in Maitama Extension, with the developers allegedly seeking to convert a canal into an access road after discovering that the proposed estate lacks a proper access route.
The Association described the allegation as disturbing, particularly against the backdrop of recent flooding in several parts of Abuja, warning that obstructing or converting natural water channels could have devastating consequences during periods of heavy rainfall.
In a statement signed by Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, HURIWA demanded an immediate investigation into the alleged development and called on the FCT Administration to disclose who allocated the land, its approved purpose, who authorised the development and whether the project secured the necessary planning and environmental approvals.
The group said if the allegations are established, the development would amount to a dangerous distortion of the Abuja Master Plan and an unacceptable threat to public safety.
HURIWA expressed concern that Abuja’s green areas, drainage corridors, canals and waterways were increasingly being treated as disposable real estate rather than essential components of the capital’s environmental infrastructure.
According to the Association, Abuja was deliberately planned with green belts, parks, gardens, waterways and drainage corridors to preserve ecological balance and provide natural channels for stormwater.
“These spaces are not empty lands waiting to be converted into luxury estates. They are part of the infrastructure that keeps Abuja alive,” the group stated.
HURIWA recalled that it had previously raised concerns over the alleged systematic erosion of the Abuja Master Plan through the reported conversion of public lands, green spaces and areas reserved for critical public infrastructure into private residential and commercial developments.
It also cited concerns over the reported conversion of land in Wuye District, originally designated for a district hospital, into a private residential development.
The Association maintained that all such allegations should be independently investigated and that appropriate sanctions should follow wherever violations are established.
It further raised concerns over allegations that some politically exposed persons or individuals connected to influential political figures may be beneficiaries of disputed land allocations in the FCT.
While stressing that such allegations remain subject to verification and that no individual should be condemned without evidence, HURIWA insisted that political influence must not shield anyone from investigation or enforcement of planning regulations.
The group said recent flooding in Abuja had given renewed urgency to the concerns, noting that floodwaters reportedly affected homes and roads in several parts of the capital, including residences associated with the Kano State Deputy Governor and a former Inspector-General of Police.
According to HURIWA, residents in some affected areas have blamed blocked or obstructed drainage channels for worsening the impact of the downpour.
The Association said the flooding should not be dismissed solely as a consequence of heavy rainfall.
It acknowledged the position of the FCT Administration that flooding occurred in parts of Abuja before the current administration and that the problem was also linked to rapid urbanisation, inadequate drainage infrastructure, waste disposal and other factors.
However, HURIWA argued that previous flooding incidents could not be used to excuse any current action capable of aggravating the situation.
It said the critical question was whether government agencies were permitting developments that interfere with designated drainage channels, green buffers, canals and waterways, insisting that the matter required a transparent answer.
HURIWA therefore called on the FCT Administration to make public the status of the alleged Maitama Extension development and immediately halt any construction found to be taking place on a protected green area or drainage corridor pending investigation.
The Association also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order a comprehensive and independent review of land allocations and development approvals across the FCT, particularly those involving designated green areas, parks and gardens, drainage corridors, canals and waterways, public infrastructure sites and other spaces protected under the Abuja Master Plan.
It urged the National Assembly to exercise its oversight powers by investigating alleged distortions of the Abuja Master Plan and the environmental consequences of such developments.
HURIWA further demanded that the relevant authorities establish whether any canal or drainage channel had been filled, narrowed, blocked or converted for private development in Maitama Extension and other parts of Abuja.
The Association warned that unchecked conversion of waterways and green areas could turn current flooding incidents into a much larger environmental disaster.
“Abuja cannot be planned on paper and destroyed on the ground,” HURIWA said.
The group urged President Tinubu to act immediately, stressing that protecting Abuja’s Master Plan was not merely an administrative responsibility but a matter of national security, public safety and environmental survival.
HURIWA maintained that the nation’s capital must not become a casualty of unchecked real estate expansion, administrative negligence or alleged abuse of political influence.
“The time to save Abuja is now before the next flood forces the country to confront a disaster that could have been prevented,” the Association said.
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