Coastal Highway Not Cause of Lagos Flooding - Sanwo-Olu, Umahi

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project has been ruled out from the likely causes of flooding being experienced in the Eti-Osa axis of Lagos State.

Lagos State Governor, BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU, and the Minister of Works, DAVE UMAHI, said such claims are false and driven by misinformation on social media.

Governor SANWO-OLU and Minister UMAHI discussed the issue when he hosted the Minister on a courtesy visit, during which he commended President BOLA TINUBU for initiating what the coastal highway project.

SANWO-OLU described project as a transformative infrastructure, saying it would boost Nigeria’s economy and improve the quality of life of citizens.

He said Lagos, by virtue of its coastal geography, would always experience some level of flooding during heavy rainfall, which he described as a natural occurrence associated with coastal environments across the world.

However, Governor SANWO-OLU blamed indiscriminate refuse disposal for worsening flooding, saying blocked drainage channels remained one of the major causes of urban flooding.

Speaking further, the Works Minister, DAVE UMAHI explained that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway was intentionally elevated to withstand ocean surges and protect the corridor from flooding for the next twenty to thirty years.

UMAHI said the Federal Government would collaborate with the Lagos State Government to construct additional drainage channels and service roads along the highway corridor, which would require some existing structures to be removed.