• Govt allays fears, says no need to panic
Lagos residents are grappling with restricted movement and disrupted activities as a result of persistent rainfall that has caused widespread flooding in the state.
The torrential downpour, which began early Wednesday morning, has caused significant challenges in various parts of the city.
Residents of Ibeju-Lekki, Eti Osa, Ikorodu, Ketu and Gbagada, among others, all have tales of woe to tell.
Expressing his frustration with the flooding that had overwhelmed the local drainage systems in his area, a resident of Abule-Osun in Ojo area, Mr. Adewale Johnson, lamented: “Everywhere is flooded. We have been evacuating water from our premises since the rains started.
“If the rain continues for the next two hours, our gutters will overrun, and we do not know what to do. It is a swampy area, but we have not had it this bad in recent times.”
In Egbeda part of the city, Mrs. Funke Adebayo said that flooding had brought activities in the area to a standstill.
“The flood is massive in our area. Last week, the water seeped into our home, and we had to bail it out,” Adebayo said.
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“It is a complete shutdown for us as the children are unable to go to school due to persistent rainfall and consequent flooding of the entire street,” she added.
In Gbagada part of the city, Ms. Ifeoma Okeke shared similar concerns, lamenting that the flood that resulted from Wednesday’s downpour in the city prevented her and other commuters from reaching their workplaces.
“The Gbagada/ Oworonshoki expressway is currently flooded, and we cannot access the Third Mainland Bridge to the island.
“The canals in the area are overflowing and seeping into houses,” she said.
Residents of Ibeju-Lekki are also lamenting their fate, with Mr. Samuel Adeniyi, a resident of Labora, recalling how his house was submerged.
“There is too much water flowing into my compound. The entire house is submerged. We cannot sleep inside the water,” he said.
Eti-Osa Local Government Area was also not spared the trauma of flooding as Wednesday’s downpour paralysed economic activities in the area.
“The ongoing flooding problem has not only hindered residents’ daily lives but also crippled local businesses,” Mrs. Folake Oduwole, a market woman, said.
From Ojo, there were footages of miscreants in the area extorting money from pedestrians seeking to use the walkway under the bridge.
Wednesday’s downpour in Lagos also caused flood to cover all the roads and streets at White Sand Isheri Osun, especially New Road which is the main entrance that leads to White Sand and other streets like Famuyiwa, Bola, Ajikawo and Harmony Estate.
Many residences were flooded with property badly damaged. Many cars were stock in the middle of the road due to the high level of water that covered their cars’ burnets. It also disrupted business and school activities.
Already, some residents of the area have moved out of their houses because of the experience they have already had with erosion since the rains began.
Responding to the crisis, the Lagos State Government called for calm among residents.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, explained the efforts being made by the state to manage the situation, saying that there was no need to panic.
He said: “Lagos has experienced about nine hours of non-stop rainfall since the early hours of Wednesday.
“The flash floods, which inundated areas such as Iyana-Oworo linking the Third Mainland and several other areas, will recede once the rains abate and the level of the lagoon reduces.”
The commissioner urged residents in low-lying areas to relocate to higher grounds and advised against driving through flooded streets.
“Residents are expected to regularly clean and maintain the tertiary drains in front of their tenements and refrain from dumping refuse in the drains,” he added.
