Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has pledged a joint engineering intervention with the federal government to ease water flow along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway corridor.
The governor stated this Monday evening, while receiving the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and members of the National Assembly Committees on Works who paid him a courtesy visit at Lagos House, Marina, after inspection of the coastal highway to ascertain the reports in the social media that the construction of the road is responsible for flooding along that axis.
Addressing the minister and his entourage, Sanwo-Olu said the coastal road is not responsible for flooding. He said flooding in Lagos is a natural occurrence linked to the state’s coastal terrain and not caused by the ongoing road project.
He added that Lagos occupies less than 0.26 percent of Nigeria’s total landmass, with one-third of that already taken up by creeks, lagoons and water.
“In this little tiny 0.26 per cent, everybody is shifting to have a space, to have a means of livelihood. That is the context and reality of Lagos. So, there is a lot of pressure on it,” he said.
He noted that as a coastal city, seasonal flooding should be expected.
“When people say there is flood, without mixing words, it will flood again next year. We just pray it is not too much. It’s like living on the southern coast of America and saying God forbids we won’t see a hurricane. These are natural occurrences,” he said.
The governor blamed poor social media narratives for exaggerating the problem.
“That’s when they take pictures. They don’t take pictures 24 hours later when it has receded. But that is not to take away the fact that when we have problems we are meant to face it and solve it,” he added.
Sanwo-Olu thanked President Bola Tinubu for the coastal highway, saying Lagos has been the first major beneficiary.
“Two years ago they felt it was just political talk. Today human beings are riding on it. We cannot but thank Mr. President,” he said.