The House of Representatives has resolved to establish an ad-hoc committee to investigate the worsening waste management crisis and the recurring failure of streetlights across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved on Thursday by Umar Ajilo (Makarfi/Kudan, Kaduna State), who raised concerns over the capital city’s declining environmental and infrastructural conditions.
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Lawmakers at the plenary expressed concern that the once well-planned city was fast deteriorating into a public health and security nightmare due to official negligence, weak institutional oversight, and years of poor maintenance culture.
Moving the motion, Mr Ajilo lamented that piles of refuse have become a permanent feature across several districts in the FCT, from satellite towns to highbrow neighbourhoods, while blocked drainage systems and malfunctioning streetlights have combined to worsen both flooding and insecurity.
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“The combined effect of accumulated waste, blocked drainage and sewage systems, and pervasive darkness from faulty streetlights is creating a dual crisis.’ Mr Ajilo said. “It is transforming the nation’s capital from a modern city into a zone of public health emergencies and security vulnerabilities.”
He said the situation has reached a point where refuse now competes for space with pedestrians on major roads and markets, adding that the capital’s image as a clean and orderly city was now “under serious threat.”
Mr Ajilo warned that these unsanitary conditions have created breeding grounds for disease vectors such as mosquitoes and rats, which spread illnesses like malaria, typhoid, cholera, and Lassa fever.
He also highlighted the security implications of the situation, noting that the collapse of the streetlight network across major roads and pedestrian corridors has emboldened criminal elements and increased the risk of armed robbery, kidnapping, and sexual assaults.
Contributing to the debate, Ahmadu Jaha (APC, Borno) said the issue was not peculiar to the FCT but had become more glaring in Abuja because of the city’s symbolic importance.
He recalled the chaos witnessed during the last rainy season when blocked drainage channels caused severe flooding and traffic disruptions in several parts of the capital.
“We are all living witness, especially during the rainy season. If you see the kind of hold up and blockages of drainages, you’ll be shocked,” Mr Jaha said.
He, however, commended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for his ongoing infrastructural rehabilitation efforts, describing him as the best minister the territory has had in recent times.
“The minister is working. Take it or leave it, hate him or like him, Wike is the best minister of the FCT we have ever seen,” he said.
Another lawmaker, Sada Soli (APC, Katsina State), spoke in a more critical tone, insisting that the FCT’s sanitation failure was alarming.
“We must not abdicate our responsibility over the FCT. The city is filthy and endangers the health of residents and visitors,” Mr Soli said.
He lamented that the cleaners who once maintained the city’s iconic cleanliness have disappeared from the streets, leading to widespread littering and blocked waterways.
He urged his colleagues to undertake on-the-spot visits to areas such as Gwarimpa, Asokoro, Wuse, and even the Central Business District, noting that they would encounter piles of refuse, stagnant water, and clogged drainage systems, conditions he warned could spark serious epidemics if not urgently tackled.
In his contribution, House Leader Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo State) cautioned against sweeping generalisations that could discredit the ongoing reforms by the FCT Administration.
“I accept the need to clean up the city and encourage citizen responsibility. But it is inaccurate to label the FCT as filthy. We must acknowledge ongoing efforts and provide constructive recommendations,” he said.
Following deliberations, the House unanimously adopted the motion and mandated the immediate establishment of an ad-hoc committee to investigate both the immediate and remote causes of the environmental and lighting crisis in the FCT.
The Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, who presided over the plenary, noted that the ad-hoc committee will be constituted in due course.
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Growing health and security risks
Recent investigations by PREMIUM TIMES corroborate Mr Ajilo’s concerns. In December 2024, this newspaper reported that residents of Karu Village were grappling with overflowing refuse dumps that caused severe flooding during the rainy season, spreading waste into homes and contaminating water sources.
The report found that poor waste collection and illegal dumpsites had heightened the risk of waterborne diseases in the area.
Similarly, in September, PREMIUM TIMES revealed that waste management contractors in Abuja threatened to down tools over months of unpaid service fees.
Their strike threat exposed deep cracks in the city’s sanitation system and left several districts, including Garki, Nyanya, and Kubwa, covered with waste.
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