By Gabriel Ameh
Concerns are mounting over an alleged environmental and planning violation in Maitama Extension, Abuja, where no fewer than 20 duplexes are reportedly under construction on land originally designated as a green area.
Even more troubling, investigations reveal that the developers, having realised that the estate has no approved access road, have allegedly resorted to converting a natural drainage canal into a makeshift roadway. Environmental experts warn that this action could trigger severe flooding and ecological damage, particularly during the peak of the rainy season.
Green areas within the Abuja Master Plan are intentionally reserved to serve as natural buffers for drainage, environmental balance, and public safety. Fencing off such a zone and transforming an existing water channel into a road, residents argue, amounts to a reckless distortion of urban planning standards driven by unchecked commercial interests.
Residents of Maitama Extension have expressed fears that the alteration of the canal could obstruct natural water flow, increasing the risk of flash floods that may endanger lives, homes, and critical infrastructure in the area.
The development has also raised serious questions about regulatory oversight, with many wondering how the Abuja Development Control Department could have approved or failed to halt construction on a protected green zone in clear violation of the Abuja Master Plan
Adding to the controversy are allegations that the land was allocated for residential development under the current Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration, a move critics say contradicts established planning laws and environmental safeguards.
Urban planners and civil society groups are now calling for an urgent investigation, immediate suspension of the project, and restoration of the affected green area to prevent an avoidable environmental disaster.
