·       One year after being declared disaster zone, residents defy FCTA

·       Why our hands are tied – Wenegieme

One year to a day after the Federal Capital Territory Administration declared the Trademore Estate, Lugbe, a disaster area, the housing estate is on the brink of yet another flooding disaster, following the heavy downpour experienced last Monday.

Trademore Estate has, over the years, suffered series of devastating effects of flooding, causing the FCT Administration to, in June 2023, declare the estate and its environs a disaster zone.

The administration at the time, said the declaration was made after the extent of the flooding was ascertained, and that government was swinging into action by evacuating people to forestall further damage to property and loss of lives.

Properties worth billions of naira have been lost in the community prone to flooding, with at least three persons said to have lost their lives in the 2021 flooding in the estate.

Despite several warnings and plans by government, residents of the estate have stayed put. However the heavy downpour experienced in parts of the country, last week, sparked fresh fears amongst residents of the area as the housing estate recorded yet another flooding incident.

A video clip, which circulated on social media, showed the level of devastation, as several houses were seen completely submerged with just the rooftops of some houses left to show the existence of the boisterous housing estate.

Residents of the estate could be heard at the background calling on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, as well as the federal government to come to their aid.

Unverified reports had claimed that two people had died in the Monday morning’s flash floods. However, the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department, FEMD, said it could not confirm the claim.

Spokesperson for the department, Nkechi Isa, in a statement said the Acting Director General of FEMD, Florence Wenegieme, after an assessment of affected areas at Trademore declared that no life was lost.

Wenegieme said; “We did not receive any distress call from Trademore. We saw the viral video and we went there to carry out an assessment. We interviewed some residents and they confirmed that no life was lost to the floods.

“We activated NEMA, FCT Fire Service, Department of Development Control and Department of Engineering Services.”

Wenegieme, noted that the houses submerged by the floods were the 116 structures marked for demolition in 2023 when the estate was declared a disaster zone.

Recall that in 2022 and 2023, the FCT Administration made several attempt to demolish part of the estate said to be on the waterway, however, some members of the residents association dragged the administration to court to stop the demolition.

The Acting DG lamented that a primary school with about 500 pupils, management and staff is also sitting on the water channel, describing it as a disaster waiting to happen.

She also informed that structures earlier demolished by the Department of Development Control were being rebuilt or renovated by the owners.

While appealing to residents in houses marked for demolition to relocate, the FEMD boss also advised the owner of Trademore to provide all needed infrastructure to avert a reoccurrence of flash floods that may lead to loss of lives at the estate.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, had, last week, predicted thunder storm and heavy rains in parts of the North-Central states including the FCT.