After Lagos State went through a severe season of flooding a fortnight ago, there is a tendency for residents to develop a fatalistic sense of detachment from anything ecological. This is the same manner a victim’s senses are numbed by traumatic experiences, and the listlessness that follows makes them vulnerable to future threats. Hence, it is pertinent to note that the latest flood alert issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency should not be viewed with panic or waved aside as another routine weather bulletin.
According to NiMet’s advisory, 27 states, including Lagos, face a heightened risk of flash flooding during the first weeks of July because persistent rainfall has saturated the soil, leaving it unable to absorb much more water. The agency also warned that flooding could disrupt transportation, damage infrastructure, destroy farms, interrupt electricity and telecommunications, and increase the risk of waterborne diseases.
For Lagos, it is like preaching to the choir; the troubled megacity has seen it all. As Nigeria’s commercial heartbeat, the implications are particularly serious. Even a few hours of heavy rainfall can cripple movement, shut down businesses, damage homes, and expose thousands of residents to danger. The recent flooding disaster left no one in doubt – automobiles were tossed around by muddy flood waters like children’s toys, while whole streets were submerged up to roof level.
As a matter of fact, the recent flooding in parts of Lagos has already disrupted economic activities and heightened public health concerns, with experts warning of possible outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and malaria following flood events. Similar risks confront many other states where poor drainage systems, unchecked urban expansion, and blocked waterways have combined to make seasonal rainfall increasingly destructive.
Nevertheless, a flood forecast is not a sentence of inevitable disaster. Early warning systems exist so that governments, institutions, and citizens can prepare before disaster strikes. The value of NiMet’s warning lies not merely in predicting danger but in creating an opportunity to reduce losses. Nigeria has suffered painful lessons from previous flood disasters. The country cannot afford to keep treating every rainy season as an unforeseen emergency. Disaster risk reduction is far less expensive than disaster recovery.
For Lagos, the question to ask is, what is different this season? The heavy flooding that brought parts of Lagos to a standstill quickly steered public attention towards one of Nigeria’s most ambitious infrastructure projects – the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway.
Many residents questioned whether ongoing construction had worsened flooding in nearby communities. The Federal Government and the Lagos State Government have rejected that claim. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu attributed the flooding largely to Lagos’ low-lying coastal geography, intense rainfall, and indiscriminate waste disposal, while the Minister of Works, David Umahi, maintained that the highway was designed with drainage infrastructure intended to reduce, not increase, flood risks.
The Federal Government has also announced plans to provide additional drainage and service roads where necessary along the corridor.
These official assurances are important, but they should not end the conversation. Major infrastructure projects should always undergo continuous environmental assessment, especially when they pass through fragile coastal ecosystems already under pressure from climate change. Lagos is home to one of the most environmentally sensitive urban landscapes in Africa.
Much of the city lies only a few metres above sea level. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, lagoons, wetlands and creeks. During periods of prolonged rainfall, drainage systems are placed under enormous pressure. Rising sea levels associated with climate change further reduce the ability of floodwaters to discharge efficiently into the ocean, increasing the likelihood of urban flooding.
The reality is that several factors may operate simultaneously. Climate change is increasing the intensity of rainfall events. Rapid urbanisation has replaced natural wetlands with concrete surfaces that prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground. Drainage channels are frequently blocked by refuse. Illegal developments often obstruct natural waterways. Against this backdrop, any large engineering project must be carefully integrated into the wider hydrology of the city.
That does not mean the coastal highway is responsible for every flood event. Neither does it mean the project should be exempt from rigorous scientific monitoring. The correct approach is evidence, not speculation.
Large coastal highways around the world are increasingly designed not simply as transport corridors but as climate-resilient infrastructure. This requires sophisticated drainage networks, adequate culverts, flood retention basins, tidal control structures where appropriate, and continuous monitoring of how water moves through surrounding communities before, during and after construction. Engineering designs must be updated whenever monitoring identifies unforeseen impacts.
In other words, our politicians should refrain from politicising the ecology.
The truth is that the speed of climate change keeps perplexing the credibility of scientific methods and predictions, and so, engineering data and mechanics should be approached with caution.
Nigeria should adopt the adaptive approach. Independent hydrological studies should continue throughout the life of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway.
Universities, engineering institutions, environmental professionals, and relevant government agencies should periodically evaluate whether drainage systems are functioning as intended and recommend improvements where necessary.
Such transparency would strengthen public confidence in the project while ensuring that engineering decisions remain guided by science.
The flooding also highlights a broader national lesson. Infrastructure can no longer be planned solely around historical weather patterns. Climate projections must become central to road design, bridge construction, drainage capacity, and urban planning. What was considered a once-in-fifty-year rainfall event may now occur far more frequently as global temperatures continue to rise.
Now that we have yet another flood alert, the Federal Government should immediately activate a coordinated national flood preparedness plan. Agencies responsible for disaster management, water resources, environment, public works, and health must work together instead of reacting after communities have already been submerged. State governments should move quickly to clear drainage channels, desilt canals, remove refuse blocking waterways, and enforce regulations against illegal structures obstructing natural watercourses. Local governments also have a critical role; they are closest to the people and should intensify public awareness campaigns, identify vulnerable neighbourhoods, establish temporary shelters where necessary, and mobilise community volunteers for emergency response.
One innovative policy Nigeria should consider is the establishment of a National Community Flood Volunteer Corps. Properly trained volunteers drawn from every local government area could assist emergency agencies in disseminating warnings, supporting evacuations, providing first aid, protecting vulnerable persons, and collecting post-disaster information. Such community-based structures have strengthened disaster resilience in several countries and could complement the work of existing emergency institutions in Nigeria.
Emergency operations centres should remain on standby throughout the peak rainfall period, while schools, hospitals, markets, and transport authorities should review their contingency plans. Families living in flood-prone areas should prepare emergency kits containing essential medicines, clean drinking water, important documents, flashlights, food supplies, and emergency contacts.
The role of citizens is equally important. Too often, indiscriminate disposal of refuse into drains contributes significantly to urban flooding. Residents should stop dumping waste into gutters, avoid building on floodplains, keep drainage channels around their homes clean, and never attempt to walk or drive through floodwaters, which can conceal open drains, strong currents, electrical hazards, or contaminated water.
Healthcare institutions should equally prepare for the aftermath of flooding. Floodwaters frequently contaminate water sources and create breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing the likelihood of outbreaks of cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid, and malaria. Health authorities should therefore strengthen disease surveillance, stock essential medicines, and intensify public health education before rather than after outbreaks occur.
The NiMet has fulfilled its responsibility by issuing an early warning. The responsibility now shifts to governments at all levels, emergency agencies, communities, businesses, and individual citizens. Flood alerts should inspire preparation, not panic. If acted upon promptly, this warning could save lives, protect livelihoods, and reduce the enormous economic losses that floods inflict on Nigeria every year.
