The Lagos State Government says it is targeting between 90 and 95 per cent success in flood control ahead of the 2027 rainy season through improved infrastructure, drainage maintenance and stronger environmental policies.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Saturday during an inspection of projects and disputed sites in Oregun, Surulere and Osborne Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi.
Wahab said the state had recorded between 75 and 80 per cent success in managing flooding in recent years but was working to improve the figure through sustained investments and year-round maintenance of drainage channels.
He said the government had deployed its Emergency Flood Abatement Gang to ensure continuous drainage maintenance but acknowledged that completely eliminating flooding was impossible because of Lagos’ coastal location, tidal movements, heavy rainfall and rising sea levels.
The commissioner urged residents not to panic during flash floods, explaining that water levels would usually recede within one or two hours. He also highlighted the government’s ban on Styrofoam and efforts to phase out single-use plastics as measures to prevent waste from blocking drainage channels.
Wahab further advised residents to remain hydrated amid unusually high temperatures associated with the El Niño weather pattern, noting that changing weather conditions and climate change were contributing to extreme weather events globally.
On the inspection exercise, he said the ministry was responding to complaints involving alleged encroachment on government drainage channels and private properties.
At the Oregun Mixed-Use Scheme, the commissioner said the inspection followed complaints from property owners who accused auto mechanics of occupying parts of their land and encroaching on System One, a natural drainage route. He assured the owners that their approved land titles and Certificates of Occupancy remained valid and directed the mechanics to vacate the affected areas.
In Surulere, Wahab said physical measurements carried out in the presence of stakeholders showed that construction by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation had not encroached on the right-of-way of a drainage channel. He added that the ministry had approved a culvert for the project and confirmed that it was constructed according to the approved design.
At Osborne Foreshore Estate in Ikoyi, the commissioner said repeated inspections had confirmed that the disputed development had not encroached on the government’s drainage alignment. The ministry also advised against removing an installed culvert, explaining that it was necessary for safety, while confirming that nearby high-tension electricity cables were not affected.
The inspection followed complaints by residents over the Abba Court development on Mahogany Close, involving Kenshad International Limited. Residents had alleged that construction beneath high-tension power lines, the covering of part of a canal and sand-filling activities could obstruct water flow and increase flooding risks.
The controversy intensified after a government inspection visit on October 31, when Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and other officials reportedly waited for more than 30 minutes outside the locked construction site. However, the developer, Ken Ukaoha, denied deliberately preventing the officials from entering, saying the site had been closed following an estate management directive. He also denied violating planning regulations or obstructing the drainage channel.
