The Lagos State Government has restated its determination to overhaul and expand key drainage infrastructure as part of a broader push to protect the city from recurrent flooding.

Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, gave the assurance during an inspection tour of several ongoing drainage projects across Eti-Osa and its environs. He said the pattern of persistent rainfall in recent months underlined the urgency of building a more resilient city in the face of climate change.

According to Wahab, recent whistleblower reports alerted the ministry to encroachment on the critical System 46 drainage channel around the Ikota axis. The alleged construction activities, he warned, threatened to distort the natural alignment of the Ikota River and could worsen flooding if left unchecked.

He disclosed that those behind the encroachment had been served a stop-work order, while the government plans to install warning signposts to prevent further violations. The commissioner stressed that enforcement would go hand in hand with public sensitisation, as the state steps up advocacy on the dangers of blocking or narrowing drainage channels.

Wahab also addressed complaints from residents around Mobil, Ikota, where parts of the area are prone to flooding. He recalled that some illegal structures along the System 44 drainage alignment were demolished two years ago to restore water flow, and said a contractor is currently on site to complete a major drainage project designed to deflood the corridor.

To speed up construction, the upstream and downstream sections of the channel have been temporarily dammed, he explained. The contractor has been directed to accelerate work so the dams can be removed and the remaining stretches completed, including about 800 metres upstream and another 800 metres linking the channel to the Ikota River downstream.

The inspection team also visited Ikate, where the government has awarded contracts for concrete lining of drainage channels and the installation of a pumping station aimed at rapidly evacuating stormwater during heavy rains.

Other locations on the tour included Ogombo Road wetland sandfilling site, LSDPC Treasure Estate on Evan Ikoku Road off Coastal Road, Lekki II–Ikota along the System 44 drainage channel, System 156 on Coastal Road, and the Kusenla drainage channel, all identified as strategic to Lagos’ long-term flood management plan.