Sanwo-Olu and entourage visit flooded Lagos communities. Credit: Lagos Junction
Sanwo-Olu checks on flooded communities in Ogombo, Lagos.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday visited the flood-hit Ogombo community in Eti-Osa Local Government Area to assess the impact of recent flooding and interact with affected residents.
The governor was accompanied by the Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, the state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, and other members of the Lagos State Executive Council.
Other communities visited include Monastery Road–Sangotedo, Gbetu, Iwerekun, and other areas in the Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area.
Footage from the tour posted by Lagos Junction on X shows the governor and his team wading through knee-deep, murky floodwaters amid residential buildings and local infrastructure.
Officials, many wearing boots and casual field attire, moved carefully through the flooded streets while observing conditions and engaging with residents and local leaders.
The on-ground assessment comes as Lagos continues to grapple with seasonal flooding exacerbated by days of persistent rainfall.
Several roads in the community remained submerged, forcing residents to use canoes to ferry people across flooded sections.
The affected residents appealed to the Lagos State Government to implement immediate and long-term flood control measures to enable them to return to their homes, businesses and normal daily activities.
The state government has previously directed emergency dredging and drainage maintenance works across multiple channels to improve water flow and reduce future risks.
The state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in a statement issued last June, said the recent heavy rainfall was an extreme weather event that overwhelmed drainage infrastructure in several parts of the state.
He said the downpours triggered temporary flooding in communities including Victoria Island, Lekki, Ikeja, Gbagada, Mushin and Mafoluku.
“The Lagos State Government on Tuesday called for calm and understanding from residents following the massive flash flooding experienced in many parts of the state over the last two weeks, with the Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, approving the immediate dredging and maintenance of 28 additional primary channels across the state.
“The rainfalls were an extreme weather event that produced an unusually high volume of water within a short period, overwhelming drainage channels in some locations and resulting in temporary flooding across parts of Victoria Island, Lekki, Ikeja, Gbagada, Mushin, Mafoluku and several other areas.”
He noted that the incident was not peculiar to Lagos, explaining that similar heavy rainfall also affected other African countries and parts of North America on the same day.
Also, during earlier interventions in nearby Eti-Osa axes like Ajiran and Agungi, authorities reported visible improvements in stormwater discharge after clearing contraventions and restoring channels to natural water bodies.
