The rainy season in Nigeria is one of the most depressing moments for Lagosians.
Lekki, Victoria Island and Ajah dwellers are mostly affected on the Island and Ikeja, Ikorodu etc get the heat on the mainland. The flooding situation in Lagos is fast becoming an annual party to look forward to; only that vehicles are the only ones that swim, not the people.
For a state known to be the Mega-City, one with the fastest growing economy in West Africa, the current impact of the rain is really disappointing to say the least.
Right now, Lagos has the Atlantic Ocean passing through rooms and tearing through neighborhoods all because the government and the people of Lagos have chosen to either flout simple rules of societal living or neglect the people to unjust suffering.
The impact of this preventable occurrence is clearly written on the faces of Lagosians. Every single year during the rainy season, roads become flooded to the extent that young people cannot easily pass through without the fear of being drowned or taken away by the wild flood that has continued to tear communities apart.
During Tinubu’s tenure, the story was the same. Fashola who is now the country’s Minister of Works has also tried to solve the drainage issues in Lagos but there were no real time efforts put in place. Ambode too came and took VisionScape with him. Nothing about the yearly flooding was done.
Asides the mentally-racking traffic gridlock Lagosians have to deal with, June rain has to be the most annoying period for Lagosians who have grown thick skin for the unnecessary suffering the government puts them through every year.
Why Has This Continued?
The reality is that in every society, the blame for every problem lies either on the of the government unwillingness to do what is right or the people’s inability to follow simple rules and regulations that guides proper living. In the case of Lagos, both parties get the blame but the government gets more of the piece.
The deplorable condition of roads in the state is something Lagosians will always be bothered about. Bad roads and a developing economy cannot be in the same sentence. Good roads play a huge role in bolstering the economy of any society but the Lagos state government has refused to see things the way they really are.
The current Minister of Works was once a governor of the state but throughout those times, all the government did was sympathize with people who lose loved ones or businesses to the impact of the flood and move on. The same trend continued and it is still the same with the current government.
Potholes will be sitting pretty on roads for many years and the government will paint the picture of several achievements for Lagosians; who will have no choice to vote for propaganda instead of looking at the seemingly topical issues. Is it that hard to make Lagos a state without flood or at least control the impact of rain every year?
On the flip side, we have Lagosians sharing the blame in all these problems.
It is Lagosians that will say Abokis are not developed but still, they will sweep their houses and shops during Sanitation and drop the dirt in the gutter, blocking drainage and allowing sewage to fill up the place. When flood comes, everybody feels the impact but only the government gets the blame.
This communal dirtiness will aid the government’s irresponsibility and it will result into what we are all witnessing today.
Finding a solution to this issue is no rocket science at all. It all lies in the government and the people’s willingness to do what is right. Nevertheless, policing people’s actions can have a great impact in making our Lagos free from flood.
Way Out
First, the government has to accept it as a point of responsibility to mend our roads and channel all drainage to the Atlantic Ocean. Roads should be graded and gutters should be kept clean. Lagosians are tied of the yearly flood situation that turns everywhere into some sort of swimming competition for slowly moving cars. Lagosians deserve better.
Lagosians too should learn the culture of societal cleanliness as it surrounds overall healthy living and economic development. We cannot continue to blame the government and consistently prevent the development we clamour for through our dirtiness.
While the government is trying to serve us, we too should do what is right. Lagosians also cannot continue to swim to work every June, competing with fishes and crabs from the Atlantic Ocean. Sanwoolu should act now!
