‘We won’t lie to residents, Lagos will continue to experience flash flooding’

‘We won’t lie to residents, Lagos will continue to experience flash flooding’

…Assures of state’s capacity to contain challenge
…Says 50km secondary collectors dredged so far

The Lagos State Government has admitted that residents will continue to experience flash flooding due to the realities of climate change and other environmental factors. It, however, reiterated its commitment to ramping up infrastructure to provide lasting solutions across the state.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, stated this during a television interview on Monday, noting that in the last two years, the ministry had cleaned over 50 kilometres of secondary collectors and dredged or maintained about 38 primary channels across Lagos.

Wahab recalled the recent 14-hour torrential rainfall that affected parts of Ikorodu, explaining that remedial measures were immediately deployed. According to him, a contractor had dammed the downstream area to allow construction to proceed, but was instructed to free it once the rains began so that stormwater could recede.

The commissioner said the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had given an early forecast in March, prompting the ministry to begin massive advocacy in April. Residents were briefed multiple times that rainfall this year would surpass last year’s levels.

Communities in low-lying areas such as Agboyi, Agiliti, Itowolo, and Ajegunle were advised to relocate temporarily to upland areas until floodwaters subside. Wahab also disclosed that the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang (EFAG) had cleaned about 666,000 metres of drainage systems and manholes across all LGAs and LCDAs in the state.

He stressed that climate change is a global reality, citing examples of countries recently experiencing unprecedented flooding.

On drainage infrastructure, Wahab explained that various contracts awarded in 2024 have an 18- to 24-month lifespan, and the government would not compromise quality for speed. He said temporary measures, including pumping stations on Lagos Island, would continue to mitigate flooding until permanent solutions are completed.

Ongoing projects include System 44 in Lekki, System 44A, and the three-phase System 1 (Odo–Iyalaro) project, which channels stormwater from Ikeja, Opebi, and Sheraton areas into the lagoon.

“We expected the rains and had resilient measures in place,” Wahab said. “We have been doing massive advocacy and ramping up drainage infrastructure statewide. We won’t lie to residents – flash flooding will occur, but we are working to contain it.”