Thousands of Lagos residents are currently counting their losses following days of torrential rainfall that left homes submerged, vehicles damaged, and livelihoods severely disrupted. While state officials have linked the perennial problem to the low-lying topography of Lagos and the broader impact of climate change, many affected citizens blame government authorities for failing to implement effective preventive measures.
A commercial bus driver, Fatai Saheed, recounted his ordeal after being trapped for six hours behind his steering wheel as floodwaters rose along the Agege Pen Cinema, Ogba, and Ojodu Berger axis. Saheed recalled a similar experience three years ago when floodwaters along Wemco Road completely destroyed his vehicle's engine. He noted, “I had to borrow money again to buy another engine,” adding that he promised himself never to make the same mistake. He further explained, “Since then, whenever it rains heavily, I avoid flooded roads. If I can’t avoid them, I simply park. It is better to lose a day’s income than lose another engine.” During the recent downpour, despite protests from his passengers who pointed out other vehicles attempting to navigate the water, Saheed refused to move. He stated, “They kept telling me, ‘Look, other buses are passing.’ But I told them I wasn’t going anywhere. Nobody would buy another engine for me if this one got damaged,” He lamented the lack of infrastructure, adding, “This is not the first time we have complained about flooding here. It is getting out of hand. The government needs to find a permanent solution,”.
The heavy downpour transformed major highways into temporary rivers, paralyzing commercial movements in areas such as Gbagada, Iyana Ipaja, Ikorodu Road, Ikeja, Maryland, Mushin, Ogudu, Lekki, Oshodi, Agege, Alimosho, and Obalende. Portions of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, and Lekki-Epe Expressway were completely submerged, causing severe traffic gridlock and forcing motorists to abandon vehicles with failed engines. Although the waters eventually receded by Wednesday morning, residents noted that the incident exposed the vulnerability of the metropolis despite annual government flood campaigns.
Along Ijaiye Road in Ogba, numerous vehicles stood motionless, submerged almost to their headlights. A commuter caught in the gridlock, Johnson Aloba, blamed blocked drainage channels for the situation. He stated, “The entire road was submerged. There was simply no movement. The drainage here is no longer functioning the way it should,”. Another commuter, Oladapo Owojaiye, who eventually resorted to trekking through the water, described the situation as one of the worst in recent memory. Owojaiye remarked, “The vehicles were moving very slowly because of the flooded portions of the road. After a while, there was a complete standstill, and we all had to come down and continue our journey, wading through the floodwater. The earlier the government addresses this flooding problem, the better,”.
The impact was similarly severe around the Odo Iya Alaro Bridge along Ikorodu Road, where broken-down vehicles littered the landscape. A motorist, Adebayo Abubakar, lamented spending N150,000 to fix his car after attempting to drive through the water toward Ojota. He said, “I drove through the floodwater on my way to Ojota. By Monday morning, my car wouldn’t start. I had to tow it to the mechanic’s workshop and spent about N150,000 to fix it, money I never planned to spend,”.
Beyond transportation logistics, the flood water invaded residential apartments in Mafoluku, Oshodi, Iwaya, and Idi Oro in Mushin, mixing with refuse and open sewage. A mother of three living on Agboola Street in Mushin, Kemi Badero, described the night as a terrifying experience. She stated, “I was scared and couldn’t sleep. My children slept on the table. Most of my belongings were floating in the water, and it was only on Tuesday evening that we started trying to salvage what we could. I pray I never experience anything like that again in my life,”. Another resident, Femi Arowosegbe, attributed the disaster to poor waste management and a failure of the state government to learn from past incidents. He noted, “The current flooding ravaging Lagos is heartbreaking and entirely avoidable. Heavy rains turned streets into rivers, trapped vehicles, flooded homes and brought the city to a standstill. Why? Because of blocked drainage channels and mountains of refuse. It is unfortunate that the state government refused to learn from last year’s flooding, which it dismissed as flash flooding. Lagos deserves better than flooded streets and heaps of refuse. Every rainy season, families lose property, businesses shut down, and commuters spend hours trapped because our drainage systems have been neglected for too long,”. In Lekki, a resident, Mrs. Cynthia Amadi, lamented that her apartment, which commands N3m in annual rent, was overrun by water. A resident of Agungi along the Lekki-Epe Expressway noted that individuals had to resort to using canoes, adding, “On Monday, most people, including schoolchildren, were ferried through flooded streets. It looked like one of those places that I only see in movies,”. Mr. Segun Ibrahim of Gbagada also expressed profound shock, stating he had never seen such severe flooding despite living in the area his entire life.
Beneath the Pen Cinema Bridge in Agege, the situation birthed a temporary informal economy as local youths charged pedestrians to carry them across the flooded rail crossing linking Capital Road and Iyana Ipaja. One of the youths, Wasiu, stated, “People pay between N100 and N500, especially women who are afraid of the strong current,”. Another youth, Fawaz Segun, added, “Whenever it rains, water always gathers here. People can’t cross on their own, so we help them. That’s how we make money,”. The coordinator of the group, Samson Alabi, popularly known as Ijoba, defended the youths against criminal stereotypes, stating, “I sell phone accessories and charge phone batteries for a living. These boys are conductors, load carriers and hustlers trying to survive. I coordinate them so there won’t be fights over customers. I always tell them to make money legally rather than steal,”. Some schoolboys managed to cross independently by locking arms, with a student named Gbenga noting, “We held on tightly to one another while one of the boys guided us. He wasn’t interested in collecting money from us,”. Local traders also capitalized on the situation by selling sachet water for residents to wash mud from their feet. A trader, Shade Michael, noted, “Whenever it rains, I sell more sachet water,” adding, “People buy it to wash their legs after crossing the dirty water.” Another trader, Kemi Adigun, explained, “I buy a bag of sachet water for about N500 and sell each sachet for N50. The demand is always high after heavy rain,”.
However, the makeshift services drew criticism from commuters. A civil servant, Ajibade Akinsanya, remarked, “Surprisingly, people have to risk their lives and spend extra money just to cross a road. The government should construct an elevated pedestrian walkway here. It would save lives, especially at night,”. Mrs. Edna Ikwuji, who nearly fell into the water, shared her terror, stating, “I almost fell into the water. If one of the boys hadn’t grabbed my hand, I might have been swept away. I still had to pay him N500 afterwards. I know the government is trying, but protecting people’s lives should also include fixing places like this.” A visibly shaking teenager stranded at the edge added, “My friends have crossed already. But I’m afraid of water. I don’t want these boys to carry me. I’ll wait until it goes down, ”.
Medical practitioners have raised concerns over the health implications following the recedence of the water, warning of contamination and waterborne outbreaks. A medical officer at the General Hospital, Gbagada, Dr. Adeniyi Mustapha, warned that the residue left behind poses severe threats, particularly to children playing on previously submerged surfaces. He stated, “The residue left behind by floodwater poses a serious health risk, especially to children. Children naturally play on surfaces that were submerged without knowing they may be contaminated with bacteria and other disease-causing organisms. Once those germs find their way into the mouth through contaminated hands, the risk of cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases increases significantly,”. He noted that the deluge combines with sewage and chemicals, requiring thorough disinfection by families. A Public Health Physician, Dr. Tuyi Raphael, added that individuals wading through the water expose themselves to dangerous microscopic pathogens, stating, “Floodwater often contains viruses, bacteria, parasites, sharp objects and other contaminants that may not be visible,”. He advised immediate washing with soap and clean water after contact.
Reacting to the situation, the Lagos State Government maintained that the metropolis did not experience conventional flooding but rather brief flash flooding caused by intense rainfall, topography, and rising sea levels. The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, stated, “Lagos doesn’t have flooding issues; what we experienced was flash flooding,”. He insisted that the drainage channels worked effectively, causing the water to drain away within an hour or two after the rain ceased. Wahab added that the state maintains its canals year-round using the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang. The Permanent Secretary of the Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, Mahmood Adegbite, stated, “My primary assignment is to ensure that flooding does not occur,”. Adegbite revealed that the government has established a flood insurance policy through the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and is currently executing the System 1 drainage channel project to mitigate future occurrences.
A climate change expert and Executive Director of the International Climate Change Development Initiative, Olumide Idowu, noted that the frequent downpours reflect climate change pressures on coastal cities. He stated, “Lagos is experiencing increasingly frequent and more intense downpours as a result of climate change. When it rains, much larger volumes of water fall within a short period, overwhelming the city’s drainage systems,”. Idowu added that human factors like illegal developments on floodplains and poor waste disposal exacerbate the issue. Meanwhile, agencies including the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, and the National Emergency Management Agency have warned residents to brace for more rain, identifying July through September as the highest risk period. NiMet's seasonal prediction indicates that Lagos may receive up to 2,010mm of annual rainfall in the Badagry region and an average of 1,965mm across its local government areas due to shifting La Niña and El Niño conditions.
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