Abuja, Nigeria (May 21, 2025) — Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi (Ebonyi North) has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to demolish informal settlements near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, describing them as a national embarrassment.
Speaking during Senate deliberations on the 2025 FCT budget, Nwaebonyi said the makeshift communities that line the airport road are “an eyesore” and do not reflect positively on Nigeria’s global image.
“When visitors arrive in our capital, the first thing they see is squalor. This does not speak well of Nigeria as the giant of Africa,” the senator said. “The FCT Minister must take urgent action.”
Nwaebonyi urged the FCT administration to prioritize urban renewal and sanitation in key gateway areas, emphasizing the need to project a cleaner and more orderly capital city.
His comments sparked a brief debate in the chamber, with some senators cautioning against displacing vulnerable populations without adequate resettlement plans.
Minister Wike has not publicly responded to the senator’s remarks, but his office has previously outlined plans for infrastructure upgrades and slum clearance as part of the administration’s urban development agenda.
