The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Olusade Adesola, has decried the repeated vandalism and theft of manhole covers, gully inlets, and other flood containment infrastructure in the territory.
Adesola, who spoke during a flood assessment tour of parts of the city over the weekend, said the vandalism of the recently replaced manhole covers and gully inlets had led to the suboptimal performance of the drainage systems in the city, and consequent flooding on some roads.
He appealed to residents in the territory to support the FCTA by reporting suspicious individuals or observations to the relevant security agencies for prompt action.
“Earlier in the week, we undertook a visit to the flood sites of Lokogoma and Trademore, amongst others. The destruction caused by the flood in those areas was really touching. But we knew that, equally within the city, there are pockets of flash floods and flooding in some areas due to suboptimal performance of our drainage systems, and we also knew that efforts were made to address these challenges.
“So, overall, our assessment has been that to rid the city of flooding is a collective responsibility. The manhole covers that were placed on this road last year, have been removed. They were not removed by ghosts; they were removed by people, and this is Federal Capital City where we have all the law enforcement agencies present.
“We want to beckon every citizen and our law enforcement agencies to support the efforts of the FCTA in protecting lives and properties through the provision of road infrastructure. A lot of resources are committed to replacing these manholes, but not long after they are replaced, they are removed.”
The Permanent Secretary also lamented the cost implications of the repeated vandalism of the flood containment equipment, noting that the administration could not continue to fund the replacements, in the face of scarce resources and other competing interests.
“In one kilometre, we can have more than 20, 30 floodwater covers, gully inlet covers, and maybe one, two or three manhole covers, and each gully inlet costs not less than N500,000. Now, if you multiply this by 20 kilometres, 80 kilometres, or 200 kilometres, you know what this translates to. And this is in the face of very competing needs for the meagre resources that we have. This underscores the need for everyone to support the efforts of the government to protect this road infrastructure.”
He also urged members of the public to desist from dumping waste and refuse in the flood drains, adding that “these gully inlets are not dumpsites for our wastes” and that flood waters would easily dry up in five minutes if the drains are not blocked by refuse.
