Lagos, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- THE Lagos State Government has blamed indiscriminate waste disposal for worsening flash floods across parts of the state, saying it has prosecuted more than 1,000 environmental offenders in the past year as it intensifies enforcement against illegal dumping and other environmental violations.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Wednesday during an inspection of the government-cleared median along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, where officials assessed compliance with directives against illegal occupation and refuse dumping.
Wahab said the state had invested significant resources in clearing and restoring the corridor and would maintain continuous surveillance to prevent a return of illegal activities.
“We have done the work on the ground. The operation is once and for all, and we will patrol the area forever,” he said.
He explained that the median is being preserved for the proposed Lagos rail corridor, dismissing calls for it to be used for landscaping or other commercial purposes.
“It is for the rail line coming this way. We have to keep it clean for them,” he added.
The commissioner urged residents to patronise registered Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators or contact the Lagos Waste Management Authority in areas where PSP operators are unavailable.
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According to him, much of the refuse dumped on road medians originates from households that fail to subscribe to approved waste collection services.
He also stressed that PSP operators and LAWMA must provide efficient services to residents who pay for waste collection.
As part of the state’s environmental enforcement campaign, Wahab said over 1,000 offenders had been prosecuted in the last year, noting that strict enforcement is essential to improving sanitation and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations.
“Once there is a law, you must enforce it and attach consequences for bad behaviour,” he said.
The renewed enforcement follows the state government’s recent directive ordering the demolition of illegal structures obstructing drainage channels and canal rights of way in Agungi, Ajiran and Ikota as part of efforts to tackle persistent flooding.
According to the government, the exercise will involve reopening blocked drainage channels and removing structures built on designated waterways after officials identified major obstructions, including at the Ajiran outfall channel.
The enforcement comes as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency has warned of an increased risk of flash flooding in Lagos and other coastal states due to forecasts of sustained rainfall across southern Nigeria.
NiMet advised residents, motorists and businesses in flood-prone and low-lying communities to take precautionary measures, warning that prolonged rainfall could trigger temporary flooding in vulnerable areas.
