Consistent rainfall over the past two weeks in Lagos State has resulted in flooding, submerging tens of houses and displacing families, including their school-age children, in the Ibeju-Lekki coastal communities. This was linked to the blockage of a channel by the contractor handling the Tinubu administration?s coastal road project coursing through the affected communities.

HiTech, a construction giant owned by Gilbert Chagoury, an ally of President Bola Tinubu, was given the construction package worth millions of naira in 2024. The president recently inaugurated the first 30km section of the road, which was derided by critics and praised by supporters. The inauguration kick-started the commencement of the second section.

In May 2024, FIJ reported how the indigenous communities lost some residents to the demolition of their homesteads as the constructor tried to create a way for the road. Others survived but found it difficult to recover from the shock and loss, even though Minister of Works David Umahi said affected property owners were paid billions in compensation.

The second section of the road is expected to slice through Eleko, Iberekodo, Musheyo, Orimedu, Baba Adisa, Aiyeteju, Kaiyetoro, Araromi, Orimedu, Onosa and other rural communities.

Long before the coastal road construction began, the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company had been constructing a concrete-reinforced access road to withstand the weight of heavy-duty trucks visiting and leaving the facility daily. So when the federal government chose a pathway for the project, it shifted its focus to the swampy areas of these communities.

The Dangote-funded road had created a channel for rainwater from the dry parts of the communities to course into the swampy areas. However, the federal-funded project obstructed the free flow of water in the swamp.

?It has been raining almost daily since last week and the water channel created by Dangote was passing the water into the swamp,? Taiwo Hassan, a resident affected by the incident, told FIJ.

?The alignment for the coastal road is in the swampy areas at the back of our communities. Naturally, water flows directly into the swamp without causing any significant damage to us.

?But since the second section of the road commenced, the contractor has been sand-filling the alignment area to a usable elevation. They have built a bridge beneath the elevation, which they want to link with the Dangote-created bridge, but it has been blocked by sand.

?Water is currently not passing through the bridge on the alignment and the elevation is high enough that it cannot overflow. Because of this, rainwater is being forced back into our houses and business centres.?

Pictures and videos shared with FIJ showed the terrifying conditions the residents now live in. Houses have been submerged. ?The water level keeps rising,? Hassan said.

The affected families had quickly salvaged some of their belongings and left the rest in ruins. In one footage, the water level reached Hassan?s thighs. Some had to take refuge in their neighbours? houses as the water refused to subside.

A waterlogged neighbourhood

?As I speak to you, my mattress is in a shop where I now sleep. I have sent my wife and children to a safe area so as not to disrupt their schooling because they are starting their exams on Monday,? said Hassan.

Okunlola Sheriff, another resident, recounted that they had complained to the company.

?About seven of us met with the contractor?s engineers and they said they might clear the water passage this coming Saturday. They could not assure us because they said they had not received any instructions from the ministry,? said Sheriff.

?We said it was an emergency situation and they should treat it as such. Crocodiles are moving into our home because of the flooding. We expected them to have fixed it by now but they have not.

?It is not a natural problem. It is human-made. But they are not feeling the same way we do. Many people have moved out and our children are the most impacted.?

FIJ also spoke with Akpan Promise. He explained that his house had been damaged. ?My family has been unable to sleep at home since my residence became waterlogged,? he said.

Promise?s homeware was floating on the water. A video clip he shared with FIJ showed someone lying down helplessly on a mattress placed on some fragile objects.

The person had placed a flat plank on two car tyres to access their room. In the same room, a pillow sat on a paint bucket, a yellow bottle swam through the floodwater while other home items also floated in different spots in the room.

?Three months like this, the water never dries,? someone said in the video.

Abdullahi Sesan Olowa, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government chairman, could not be reached as his line kept dropping when dialled by FIJ at press time.

Notwithstanding, his response to Hassan when he complained to him was shared with FIJ.

?We have escalated the situation to the Federal Ministry of Works and the Minister of Works is already notified,? he wrote. ?I am glad to inform you that the inspection team of the Ministry and the contractor will visit the affected communities this week.?

Equally, Olufemi Dare, a director at the Federal Ministry of Works and a member of the compensation committee set up by the minister, told FIJ on Thursday that he was already at the site ?to see things for myself.?

?We are aware of the situation and I am currently there to see things for myself,? Dare said. ?It wasn?t unexpected. It is something that can happen anywhere but what is most important is how we handle it. I have directed HiTech to address it and I can tell you that it will be resolved in the next few days.?

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) is due to conduct the local government election on Saturday.

Due to the seeming neglect they had faced since the flooding started, some of the victims wanted to boycott the election and instead, launched a protest to draw attention to their plights.

?I have been the one discouraging them,? a resident who asked not to be named, said.

?I told them that that may not be the right approach, but they are right to think so. We feel neglected by the government.?

The source said that if they were to buy into the idea of a protest, it would be massive and they would embarrass the government.

With properties destroyed, the victims felt that the negligence of the company brought the problem upon their communities and the right way to share their grievances was through a protest.

Their once quiet life had been badly disrupted, and the authorities? attention was not coming as urgently as desired. (FIJ)

Update news