FCTA laments incessant theft of gully inlets, manhole covers

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has decried the incessant vandalism and theft of gully inlets, manhole covers and other facilities put in place to tackle flooding within Abuja.

The Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola, said this in Abuja when he visited some of facilities on Saturday.

Adesola lamented that most of the expensive gully inlet and manhole covers recently replaced by the FCTA have been vandalised and carted away by suspected hoodlums.

He said that the trend had minimise the performance of the drainage systems, thereby, contributing to flooding in the city.

“Earlier in the week, we visited the flood sites at Lokogoma and Trademore, amongst others. The destruction caused by the flood in those areas was really touching.

“We knew that within the city, there are also pockets of flooding in some areas due to minimal performance of our drainages, inspite government efforts to mitigate flooding.

“As part of efforts to rid off flooding in the city, we visited some of the locations that usually experience flooding during the rainy season to ascertain our efforts in addressing the challenge,” he said.

Describing flood mitigation as a “collective responsibility”, the Permanent Secretary called for the support of residents and security agencies toward addressing the ugly trend.

“The manhole covers that were replaced 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.

“We are appealing to every citizen and our law enforcement agencies to support the efforts of the FCTA in protecting lives and property through the provision of quality infrastructure,” Adesola said.

Speaking on the cost implication of replacing the stolen items, the Permanent Secretary said that each gully inlet cost N500,000.

He added that the authority had provided between 20 and 30 flood water covers, and one to three manhole covers within a kilometre.

“Now, if you multiply this by 20 kilometers, 80 kilometers, or 200 kilometers, you know what this will translate to.

“This underscores the need for everyone to support the efforts of the government to protect road infrastructure against flooding,” he appealed.

Adesola also cautioned members of the public against indescriminate dumping of refuse on water ways, stressing that gully inlets should not be used as dumpsites.

The Permanent Secretary was accompanied on the visit by some senior officials of relevant Departments and Agencies in the FCTA.