A heavy downpour on Tuesday morning once again brought parts of Lagos State to a standstill, leaving motorists and commuters stranded as floodwaters overtook major roads and communities.
The flooding, which began after hours of rainfall, submerged roads in Ikorodu, Okota, Akowonjo, Lekki, and several other parts of the state. Residents lamented that the recurring situation has made movement almost impossible, with many trapped in traffic while others were forced to abandon their vehicles.
At Ago Palace Way in Okota, vehicles crawled slowly on both sides of the waterlogged road, while in Lekki’s Osapa London area, floodwaters blocked access to estates, forcing commercial drivers, including Uber operators, to shun the area. “There were points in the flood where the water would almost flow into your vehicle. I took the risk before, but not again,” a resident, Mustapha, said.
Commuters around Agege, Ogba, and Wempco Road also faced severe delays, as the flood turned some junctions into pools of stagnant water. A pedestrian, Mojisola Ajisafe, recounted how the road became nearly impassable. “Some vehicles did not move at all. They had to wait for the water to reduce. Only SUVs and commercial buses dared to move,” she said.
In Ikorodu, residents shared videos of submerged streets, with homes and shops affected. Commercial drivers plying the Egbeda-Idimu axis also complained about the damage floods have caused to their vehicles, calling for urgent government intervention.
“This is not the first time we are complaining about flooding in this area. It is already getting out of hand. The government needs to find a permanent solution,” a driver, Saheed, told our correspondent.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, had earlier noted that while Lagos has resilient systems in place, the state’s coastal nature and climate change effects continue to worsen the flood situation.
