{
  "id": 1512299,
  "title": "Abuja floods: Wike’s aide slams Adeyanju, says flooding predates FCT minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/abuja-floods-wikes-aide-slams-adeyanju-says-flooding-predates-fct-1512299",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T16:24:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/abuja-floods-wikes-aide-slams-adeyanju-says-flooding-predates-fct-minister/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lere Olayinka, has defended the FCT Administration against criticism over flooding in Abuja, stating that the issue predates the tenure of Minister Nyesom Wike. Olayinka accused lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju of politicizing the incident by blaming Wike for the flooding, but noted that the FCT Administration was already taking steps to address the recurring problem. The floods, caused by heavy rainfall on Saturday, receded after some time, and the FCT Administration is mindful of the recurring flooding and is taking measures to prevent future occurrences. Olayinka questioned whether Wike could be held responsible for similar flooding recorded in Abuja before he became FCT minister, highlighting that the city has witnessed floods long before Wike assumed office due to rapid expansion, inadequate drainage infrastructure, waste management, and enforcement of planning regulations.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Abuja floods: Wike’s aide slams Adeyanju, says flooding predates FCT minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/abuja-floods-wikes-aide-slams-adeyanju-says-flooding-predates-fct",
        "published": "2026-08-17T16:12:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}