Joe Igbokwe, the Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo- Olu, has written an open apology to Lagosians for the flood that ravaged the state on Saturday after a heavy downpour, causing loss of property among other things.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the SA, Igbokwe, apologised, saying that the flood could not be separated from the fact that Lagos is a coastal city.
“We acknowledge the damage done by the flood in Lagos yesterday, as well as the losses,” he said. We sincerely apologise for your suffering and tears. We feel the same pain as those who are affected. Lagos is a coastal city that is prone to flooding. This is common knowledge. Lagos has the smallest land mass in Nigeria, with a population of 23 million Nigerians.
He lamented, however, that Lagosians were building houses on flood-control lands.
“It (Lagos) is Nigeria’s economic centre.” Every day, Lagos generates over 15,000 metric tonnes of garbage. We have low-income areas where people are not supposed to build houses, but Lagosians go there to build houses.
“We have wetlands that serve as reservoirs to retain excess floodwaters, but Lagosians will defy the law and go there to build houses.” To make matters worse, some Lagosians dump garbage into our drains or canals. Some people build houses on our canal setbacks, making it difficult, if not impossible, for us to clear the drains. To help keep Lagos flood-free, we must change our habits. Every year, Lagos spends a lot of money cleaning canals and aligning many of them with concrete.
“If we behave, we will reduce flooding problems.” Flooding has become a global issue as a result of climate change. I recently witnessed massive flooding in Sydney, Australia. You must see the casualties. We will continue to do our best in terms of flood management in Lagos. “We are appealing to Lagosians to assist us,” the statement said.
