Lagos Floods: Floodwater Slow To Recede Due to High Tide, Says Environment Commissioner Wahab

Following a severe 10-hour non-stop rainfall that hit Lagos on Wednesday, causing significant flooding across the city, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab has stated that the tidal levels of both the lagoon and the sea rose to the point where rainwater couldn’t discharge for one to two hours post-downpour, particularly impacting Lagos Island.

Wahab in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, insisted that Lagos as a state, has a comprehensive master plan for drainage but explained that some places like Agungi, due to recent developments, have outweighed the drainage system that was put in place by the local government.

“We had a 10-hour non-stop rainfall yesterday (Wednesday) and the tidal level was up. The tidal level for the lagoon and the sea was up to the extent that the rain water was not able to discharge till about one of two hours into the lagoon and the sea. That is what happened as for the Island.

“For Osapa London and Agungi, there are two collectors serving them. There is a primary channel that discharges through Chevron Road to the lagoon and there is a secondary collector. What happened at Agungi is because as we speak, the lowline of Agungi is this area and after the rain stopped, it will take like two to three hours for that water to be released into the collector. They have a draining system in front of their houses but the collector is down the road.

“We were there last Thursday and we said the solution to this problem would be for us to put a secondary collector. The development of Agungi road has outweighed the drainage system that was put in place by the local government. The secondary collector will now discharge into the primary collector, which would discharge into the lagoon through the chevron axis. Agungi and Osapa are lowline areas and for lowline areas aborted by the sea or the lagoon, when the tidal wave is up, it won’t discharge early enough”

Responding to a tweet accusing the government of demolishing structures belonging to Igbos, citing reasons as in the guise building on canals, Wahab stated that buildings that the government has demolished were strictly building in the right of way of the canals and had nothing to do with ethnicity.

“As for the tweet, or the message in the X handle, my response to them is that we are not demolishing. We are removing contraventions in areas that are prone to flooding and those that are built on the right of way of the canal’s primary or secondary collector. In October last year, there is a system 44 that runs from Ogombo in Lekki phase 2 into the Ikota creek. There were twelve villages that were being flooded every year. What we had to do was to remove those contraventions and restore the right of way, which is being done now and that decongested that whole neighbourhood.

“Whoever thinks people in government will remove those contraventions because it sweetens us to do is wrong. For Ikoyi, VI and lekki 1, within one or two hours, the water had gone and it rescinded because the 5-car way creek was taking the water afterwards and all the collectors were working effectively. We had cleaned them all year round. For those on the upland of Lagos, Ikeja, Alimosho, Agege, same thing happened. Once the rain stopped, within one or two hours, the water moved away.

On the broader issue of climate change, Wahab reiterated the reality of global warming, describing it as “excess heat and excess downpour.” He noted that Lagos, being a coastal and low-lying state, is particularly vulnerable.

He also stressed the importance of environmental awareness and cooperation.

“When it comes to nature, climate change and global warming, I preach it every time. I know it is real. The simple way of explaining global warming is excess heat and excess downpour. When it is summer, there is excess heat and when it is winter, there is excess cold. Lagos is a coastal state; a lowline state, maybe a meter above sea level, but as a people, how are we relating with the environment? That is the question we should be asking.

“So, it is not about not planning because even with the best plans and the most resilient infrastructure you can put in place, when it is nature, all we can do is to mitigate and push back.so, when you see us removing all those contraventions, it is to create infrastructure and let water have its natural path to discharged. It is easier for people to say that these things were abandoned but Lagos of the 60s and 70s is different from the Lagos of the now. What is the size of lagos? It is about less than four thousand.”

In addition to flood management, Wahab mentioned the arrest of individuals at trade fair who were illegally charging pedestrians to use a bridge during the rain on Wednesday. “Lagos State is governed by laws, and we will enforce those laws,” he affirmed.

He also added that the Lagos government has also established a flood service center to monitor water levels and issue timely notices to communities in low-lying areas. This proactive measure he said ensures that residents can evacuate promptly during flood events.

Chioma Kalu

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