After days of flooding in coastal communities, the Lagos State Government has unveiled plans to intensify efforts to curb the impact of rising seas through new policies, infrastructure projects, and regional partnerships.
The government through its Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, explained that the state, with about 186 kilometres of Atlantic coastline, remains highly vulnerable to sea level rise, tidal lock, excessive rainfall, and heat waves, all of which worsen flooding in the city.
Wahab made this remark while serving as a panelist at a programme themed “Rising Seas, Resilient Communities: Climate Adaptation Strategies in West Africa” held at Harvard University on Saturday, where he warned that human activities are compounding the crisis.
“What we cannot allow is people greedily taking out the preserved mangroves that protect us, taking out the wetlands to build real estate without proper consideration for the environment. Then we have a recipe for future crisis,” he warned.
The commissioner added that Lagos has developed a climate adaptation and resilience plan, covering areas such as waste-to-energy, waste-to-wealth projects, and liquid waste platforms.
According to him, the plan is already attracting regional interest, but as a subnational government, Lagos has limitations compared to federal authorities.
To bridge the gap, Wahab said Lagos has sought partnerships with neighbouring countries that have proven expertise. He cited an agreement signed with a Ghanaian waste management company, which will help process 4,000 tonnes out of the state’s 13,000 tonnes of daily waste into compost, fertiliser, and other resources.
“If that is done, we will proceed to close one of the notorious landfills in Lagos. It is about converting waste to wealth while reducing the environmental burden,” he explained.
On flooding, the commissioner said the government has put in place resilience infrastructure that works all year round while also cracking down on illegal construction and encroachment on floodplains.
“We move against those contravening without caring who you are. We protect our wetlands, and whenever we choose to prosecute, we prosecute those willingly destroying the ecosystem,” Wahab said.
He acknowledged that Lagos has already lost some communities, particularly in the Lekki corridor, to ocean surges. However, he pointed to the “Great Wall of Lagos,” built to shield Victoria Island from the encroaching Bar Beach, as proof that coastal protection can turn threats into opportunities.
“It used to be known as Bar Beach and it was about to wipe out the whole Island until 2006, when the government brought in experts and built the Great Wall of Lagos. Not only did it protect Victoria Island, it has now become one of the most sought-after real estate zones in the country,” he said.
Wahab stressed that government action alone is not enough, urging citizens to take responsibility by avoiding practices that worsen flooding.
Also speaking, a Ghanaian delegate, Nana Brownie, who also served as a respondent during the event, emphasised the urgency of protecting ecosystem spaces before they collapse beyond recovery, noting that Africa remains more vulnerable to climate change than advanced economies due to its limited capacity to withstand the shocks.
“It is imperative to protect ecosystem spaces before it gets spread beyond safety measures, as Africa is vulnerable to climate change more than the more advanced world due to its low capacity to curtail the condition,” Brownie said.
She warned that the situation is already worsening economic conditions across the continent and called for both local and international policy measures to strengthen resilience.
Brownie highlighted Ghana’s recent policy efforts, including renewable energy solutions such as electric vehicles and motorcycles, as well as other initiatives aimed at alleviating the effects of climate change while contributing to sustainable development.
She added that Ghana has begun forging partnerships locally and internationally to expand access to technological reforms needed to respond to the climate crisis.
