Lagos Demolishes Illegal Structures on Drainage Paths to Prevent Flood Disasters

The Lagos State Government intensified its demolition of structures built on drainage channels and setbacks, targeting areas like Ikota, Lekki, and Mende to avert flooding disasters, as announced by Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab.

The exercise, ongoing since 2020, removed 50 buildings in May 2025, including duplexes and shops, after owners ignored multiple notices served since their foundation stages. Wahab emphasized that encroachments, covering 60% of Ikota’s canal paths, caused flash floods in 2024, displacing 5,000 and costing ₦2 billion in damages. The demolitions aim to restore the state’s drainage masterplan, ensuring water from Agidingbi and Opebi flows unimpeded to the Ikota River.

The government deployed 200 personnel and heavy machinery, with plans to clear 10 km of drainage by July 2025. Wahab urged residents to obtain drainage approvals before construction, warning of ₦500,000 fines for violations, enforced by the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency. Affected owners, who lost properties valued at ₦1.5 billion, protested, claiming selective enforcement, though Wahab denied favoritism, citing 2023’s non-partisan demolitions in Alaba.

Residents of flood-prone Mende, a low-lying area, were advised to relocate, as 30% of its terrain risks submersion annually. Public reactions vary: environmentalists support the move, noting 80% flood reduction in cleared areas, but displaced traders fear economic hardship, with 40% of Lagos’s 10 million informal workers affected. The initiative reflects Lagos’s climate challenges, with 500 mm of rain expected in 2025, necessitating $3 billion in drainage upgrades to protect its 25 million residents.