Lagos Flooding Not Caused by Coastal Highway, Lawmakers Insist After Inspection Tour

Members of the National Assembly have dismissed claims linking the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway construction to recent flooding in parts of Lagos, insisting that the problem predates the project and is connected to wider environmental and drainage challenges in the state.

The lawmakers made the assertion on Monday during an inspection tour of the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project led by the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, alongside members of the National Assembly and other stakeholders.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Umahi for what he described as a swift response to concerns surrounding the flooding, noting that the minister had earlier convened a stakeholders’ meeting to examine possible solutions.

According to Onyesoh, experts who participated in the meeting explained that Lagos flooding challenges were linked to the city’s geography, weather patterns and long-standing drainage issues rather than the coastal highway project.

“We sat through a seminar, what I would call a seminar with diagrams where experts linked everything about Lagos, the geographical position, behavioural pattern of the weather around Lagos, and so on,” he said.

The senator argued that flooding in Lagos was not a recent development, stressing that the issue had existed for decades.

“This flooding of Lagos did not begin today; it dates back to the days of the white men, so what we are seeing today is not new,” Onyesoh said.

He maintained that the coastal highway should not be blamed for the flooding, pointing to the movement of water around the project area.

“Even where we are standing, we can see flood water moving. The water is moving from the ocean to this way, which means even without the coastal road, the water will still move this way,” he added.

Onyesoh further noted that flooding was a global challenge affecting many cities around the world, while praising the minister’s efforts in responding to the situation.

“I am impressed. Your response is timely,” he said.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Mr Akin Alabi, also backed the project and called for responsible reporting of issues surrounding the highway and flooding.

Alabi urged journalists, social media influencers and other public commentators to verify information before attributing causes to major events such as flooding.

“It is easy to say the cause of the flooding is the coastal road, but always consult experts before you make broad assumptions,” he said.

The Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, also stated that lawmakers had established during the inspection that the highway was not responsible for the flooding.

“We have seen, as a parliament, that the coastal highway is not in any way the cause of flooding in this part of Lagos and going by history, flooding in Lagos is as old as the city itself,” Nwaebonyi said.

He advised residents to follow environmental experts’ recommendations, particularly by avoiding activities that obstruct drainage channels and waterways.

The senator also called on the Lagos State Government’s environmental authorities to intensify efforts to clear blocked waterways, arguing that poor waste disposal and human activities contribute significantly to flooding.

“The Lagos State Government Environmental Department should make sure that all the waterways are cleared,” he said.

During the inspection, Minister of Works Dave Umahi also directed the deployment of 40 youths to monitor the highway against vandalism and misuse.

The federal government has continued to defend the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project amid public debate over its environmental impact, with officials maintaining that proper engineering measures and expert recommendations are being considered to address concerns around flooding and drainage.