A heavy downpour on Saturday has wreaked havoc across various parts of Lagos state, with several homes and cars submerged and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
Areas particularly affected include Agege, Ajegunle, Egbeda, Ikotun, Ojo and Orile, where floodwaters covered most drainage channels and surged through streets, highways and residences.
A viral video showed the road leading to the popular Trade Fair market in Lagos State was equally affected, as pedestrians and motorists waded through the waters.
As of now, it remains uncertain whether there have been any casualties due to the flooding.
Residents of the affected areas have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for swift and effective intervention to mitigate the damage and provide essential support to the affected populace.
However, Governor Sanwo-Olu charged residents to stop the indiscriminate dumping of refuse, stating, “We can change some of our behaviors. When people block drainages, there is no magic—they will be blocked, and there will be flooding.”
Citing a recent incident in Oshodi, he added: “we had a blocked drainage somewhere around Oshodi, all it took was for us to also remove the tyres and the rest of it, and within 30 minutes, the entire (blockage in the) drain was gone.”
The territorial coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, appealed to the residents of Lagos State to take personal safety precautions.
Farinloye added that NEMA was assisting with provision of children and women wears, mattresses, antiseptic, and other immediate assistance to residents of some of the affected areas.
Last month, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) gave warning concerning the increased risk of flooding across the country, identifying 178 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as being at high risk of severe flooding.
Coastal states such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, and Rivers as well as major cities in the country were foreseen to face challenges related to flash and urban floods.