Evri time wey rain dey fall, 50-year-old Francis Okotieboh dey fear.

For di past few years, di man wey don dey live for Oke Ishagun for long time, na one area wey pipo full for Lagos, and e don dey see plenty bad flood.

"I dey always swim to dey help pipo comot for dia flooded house, even if e mean say I go risk my life," im tok.

Di mata don bad sotey Okotieboh don lose almost all di tins wey im get.

"I no get any property again," im tok.

"Television don spoil, evritin - chair, fridge, evritin don loss. I no get anytin again. Na only my bed and di clothes wey dey on top di bed I get.

“Wetin I dey do now be say I go wake up for morning, baff, and go work. Na so plenty pipo for Oke Ishagun dey live dia life now."

Recurrent flooding

Lagos, one big city wey pipo sabi for im vibrant life, dey face wahala wit serious flood wey dey happun evri year.

Di yearly rainy season dey bring plenty water wey dey cover ground, dey make evri wia soak, and turn plenty parts of di city to river.

Di flood don spoil property, scatter road, and affect pipo life and work.

Lagos get 21 million pipo wey dey live inside di city and many of dem dey stay for areas wey dem no plan well.

Di city dey for Niger River, wey be network of river, stream, and wetland wey dey flow enter Atlantic Ocean. Di way di place dey, e mean say plenty house dey just few metres above sea level.

For January, di United Nations Office for di Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs publish one study wey tok say if dem no do anytin, Lagos fit sink by 2050.

“Lagos and di Niger Delta area dey very low, and di place get plenty river, creek, and stream wey water dey easily cover,” di report tok.

For di past few decades, quick urbanisation plus poor planning don make pipo dey build for wetland and waterway for Lagos.

Dis one don spoil di natural way wey di water dey drain, so di city dey face flood wahala.

“Di problem for Lagos State no be like anywia else. Dem no get beta drainage system, and waste management sef dey cause wahala,” urban development expert Mustapha Ewenla tok.

“Climate change na big factor. We dey see heavy rain wey dey pass wetin di drainage system fit carry,” e add.

Di infrastructure for Lagos, especially di drainage, no fit handle di plenty rain wey climate change dey bring.

Old pipe, blocked gutter, and poor stormwater management dey make di mata worse.

For Oke Ishagun, Francis Okotieboh tok say di flood don bad sake of contractors wey dey work on di drainage system no dey dredge di place well or dey do proper work.

“Last year, three pikin die as di area flood. Dem no fit rescue dem befor di water carry dem go,” e tok.

Red Cross tok say dem don help plenty pipo wey flood affect for Lagos and oda parts of Nigeria.

Ige Oladimeji, wey be Disaster Management Officer for Lagos Red Cross, tok say dis year alone dem don help over 200 families wey flood don affect.

“Dis year, plenty house don scatter,” e tok.

“We don teach some community basic hygiene, support dem wit over 2000 handwashing station, and teach dem financial literacy.”

Drainage management

Urban development expert Mustapha Ewenla tok say na many-sided solution go fit solve di wahala of seasonal flooding.

“Govment need to do more for drainage construction and stop pipo from building for waterways and canals,” e tok.

But goment dey tok say dem don already dey work on di problem, and dem don see beta changes for di past few years.

“Lagos dey face plenty big challenges sake of e dey coastal area wey Atlantic Ocean, lagoon, creek, and river surround,” di state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, tok.

“Pipo don dey break law anyhow, dey block stormwater path, canals, and channels, and dis one dey cause serious flooding,” e tok.

“But wetin we don do for di past one year be say we don make sure say we dey clean all di stormwater channels and collector paths,” e add.

Di Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development for Lagos, Oluyinka Olumide, add say govment don start projects to reduce flooding.

“All di drainage dem dey clearly marked. For physical planning, we no dey approve any building wey go dey near dos places again,” e tok.

E explain say im office dey make sure say dem no dey give approval for construction wey dey block drainage paths, and dem dey work wit different agencies, both local and international, to enforce compliance.

As Lagos dey grow, experts agree say e dey veri important to focus on sustainable development and climate resilience.

“If we fit use beta holistic plan take handle dis problems, we fit solve dem small small,” Olumide tok.

For im area for Oke Ishagun, Francis Okotieboh dey hope say goment go do more to protect property and save lives.

“Govment suppose to dey find permanent solution to di flooding matter for Lagos,” im tok.

“Proper dredging, proper drainage – govment sabi wetin dem suppose do for di canal. Dem no be learners.”


State Commissioner for di Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab