The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has attributed the recent flooding along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to the non-implementation of the Lagos State master plan for flood management, coupled with indiscriminate refuse disposal by residents.
Speaking on Sunday during an inspection tour of the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Mr Umahi announced that he would lead a delegation of National Assembly members to conduct a technical evaluation of the coastal highway and its surroundings on Tuesday, following a presidential directive.
“We are not causing the flooding, but we must evaluate it,” the minister stated. “We found out that the master plan of Lagos State in terms of flooding is not being implemented. There are designated lagoons where water is supposed to be drained; they have not been done.”
Mr Umahi also expressed dismay at the widespread blockage of drainage channels with waste, decrying what he termed the “indiscipline” of Nigerians and urging citizens to embrace greater civic responsibility in protecting public infrastructure.
While addressing the flooding concerns, the minister commended the contractor handling the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Hitech Construction Company, for achieving ten per cent of permanent works, describing the progress as “mind-blowing”. The Minister of State for Works, Mr Bello Muhammad Goronyo, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, also praised the administration’s infrastructure drive, expressing optimism that the road projects would bolster commerce, agriculture, and employment across the region.