Lagos govt begs residents over floods

The Lagos State government has apologised to the people over the the devastating floods which ravaged major parts of the state at the weekend.

The Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources to the Governor, Joe Igbokwe, in a statement issued on Sunday noted that the floods were due to the coastal nature of the city.

He said: “We acknowledge the damage done by flood in Lagos yesterday and the losses. We apologise most sincerely for the pains and tears. We share the pains with those affected. Lagos is a coastal city that is prone to flooding. Everybody knows this. Lagos has the smallest land mass in Nigeria with 23 million Nigerians.

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“It (Lagos) is the economic hub of Nigeria. Lagos generates more than 15,000 metric tons of refuse every day. We have low-line areas where people are not supposed to build houses but Lagosians go there to build houses.

“We have wetlands which serve as reservoirs to retain excess floods but Lagosians will defy the law and go there to build houses. To make matters worse, some Lagosians dump refuse inside our drains or canals.

“Some build houses on our canal setbacks making it difficult if not impossible for us to clear the drains. We need to change our habits to help us have flood-free Lagos. Lagos spends huge amounts of money every year cleaning canals and aligning many of them with concrete.

“We will reduce flooding issues if we behave ourselves. Flooding is a global thing due to climate change. The other day, I witnessed massive flooding in Sidney, Australia. You need to see the casualties. We will continue to do our best in matters of flood management in Lagos. We are appealing to Lagosians to help us.”

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