Lagos Govt Allays Residents’ Fears Over Recent Flooding
The Lagos State Government has reassured residents of Lagos Island following recent flooding in the area, stating that necessary measures are in place to effectively manage the situation.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, gave the assurance on Friday while addressing journalists during an assessment tour of the Lagos Island Urban Regeneration Project.
Wahab explained that the ongoing urban regeneration project, when completed, would resolve the recurring flooding issues in Adeniji, Oroyinyin, Idumagbo, Ojo-Giwa, Jankara, Aroloya, and surrounding areas.
“The ongoing urban regeneration construction work is causing a bit of inconvenience for Lagos Island residents, and we apologise; we can’t make an omelette without breaking the eggshell. So the inconvenience is temporary for us to give a permanent solution to what has become a disturbing phenomenon on Lagos Island for a while,” Wahab said.
He revealed that the state government has set up a temporary pumping station at the Adeniji Adele Underbridge to remove stormwater from Aroloya Street, Ojo-Giwa, Binuyo, Oroyinyin, and other flood-affected parts of Lagos Island due to ongoing construction works.
According to the commissioner, the pumping station will enable uninterrupted progress in other areas under construction.
“The urban regeneration completion would be in phases, which would be between nine, fifteen, eighteen and 24 months. So in a maximum of two years, the project would be completed,” he added.
On Thursday, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) issued a flood warning, identifying 1,249 communities across 176 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as high-risk areas for flooding in 2025.
The warning was presented by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, during the official unveiling of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) in Abuja.
According to the forecast, an additional 2,187 communities in 293 LGAs across 31 states and the FCT may face moderate flood risk this year.
In response to the warning, Wahab affirmed that the Lagos State Government is well-prepared and has empowered the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang (EFAG) to work year-round.
“Lagos State is prepared for it, and it is an annual thing. Nature will take its course between April and sometime later in the year, so what we have done in the past few months is we have been upgrading our infrastructure. We have never stopped for a day. We work around the clock at the ministry,” Wahab said.
“We also use our EFAG Team all year round to help deflood and desilt most of our drainage. We are also appealing to our citizens to continually clean their tertiary drainage from time to time.”
Lagos Govt Allays Residents’ Fears Over Recent Flooding is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
