The Lagos State Government has issued a fresh warning to residents in parts of Lekki, Ikorodu and Ajegunle areas of the state to relocate from lowlands to highlands to avoid being victims of flooding. The state’s Commissioner for the Environment, Tokunbo Wahaba, said: “Those around the Ajilete axis of Lagos, that’s Ajegunle, they have to move.

“Those around the coastline of Ikorodu; Majidu, have to move. Some areas around the Lekki corridor, too, not all.” Wahab, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme yesterday, said: “Epe has always been safe, Mushin will be safe, Ikeja will be safe,” the environment commissioner stated, warning residents of Isheri in the OPIC area of the state to also be on alert.”

The commissioner said Lagos, as a coastal city, was exposed to the vagaries of climate change and will experience flash flooding this year. The official said, based on predictions by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Lagos would experience much more rain this year than last year.

“For those who stay in the lowland of Lagos, they have to move to the upland pending when the rain recedes,” he said. Some communities in Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial capital, were flooded on Monday after marathon rainfall that started Sunday night and thundered on, uninterrupted till Monday evening. Viral videos showed submerged houses and vehicles in parts of the state as residents delicately navigated pool-like streets and roads, which overflowed from clogged drainage channels and canals.

The environmental situation paralysed trade and economic activities in the nation’s commercial hub. However, Wahab sued for calm, and assured residents of the state that the government has been on top of the matter, clearing drainage channels and expanding flood paths to mitigate the impact of nature.