The Lagos State Government has faulted the Labour Party’s 2023 gubernatorial candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, over his public recommendations on tackling flooding in Lekki and other coastal parts of the state, describing them as weak and disconnected from the complex environmental realities of the city.
The government said Rhodes-Vivour’s suggestions reflected a lack of understanding of how drainage systems function in a coastal city like Lagos, pointing instead to its ongoing technical approach, which includes tide-locking solutions, stormwater detention, and drainage channel expansion.
In a detailed breakdown of its flood management strategy, the Commissioner for the Environment, Tokunbo Wahab, who clapped back at the former governorship candidate on Friday, explained that Lagos, like other low-lying coastal cities such as Venice and Amsterdam, faces unique challenges due to its flat topography and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
He noted that the recent Lekki flooding was the result of a “compound event”, a heavy downpour coinciding with a high tide, which caused a temporary backup in the drainage system.
Wahab stressed that flooding in a densely populated, low-lying coastal megacity like Lagos cannot be addressed through populist soundbites or politically convenient suggestions.
According to him, these challenges demand well-researched, technical, and engineering-based solutions grounded in data, environmental science, and long-term urban planning, not quick-fix ideas designed merely to score political points.
Speaking further, the commissioner outlined a multi-pronged strategy involving short, medium, and long-term interventions to tackle flash flooding.
These, he said, include the construction and maintenance of over 579 kilometers of drainage channels, the installation of one-way flap gates to prevent seawater backflow, and the introduction of water detention systems in estates and public spaces to slow down stormwater runoff.
According to him, “While we were busy working on immediate short term, medium term and long term solutions to the recent flash flooding in some parts of Lagos, my attention was drawn to a simplistic suggestion by Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, an idea driven more by political correctness, cheap attention seeking, and the pursuit of relevance than by genuine problem-solving.
“Lekki’s floods were a compound event: a fast, heavy downpour happened around the same time as a high tide. When the sea level is high, water can’t leave our drains as quickly. Streets then hold water for a few hours before it recedes.
“For the purpose of enlightening you, this phenomenon is called “tide-locking.” Plainly: when the ocean or lagoon is high, it’s like trying to pour water uphill. Outfalls (where drains meet the lagoon) cannot empty fast, so water backs up. I hope you get that now!?
“Different cities face different problems. Venice fights sea surges with movable gates; the Netherlands makes space for water on land and uses pumps; Bangkok stores stormwater in parks; Lagos’ main issue is heavy rain + high tide on very flat land.
“Floods are driven by physics, not politics. The plan is to store, move, and control water—underpinned by maintenance, enforcement, early warning, and clear public metrics – so that heavier-than-usual rainfall plus high tide no longer means disruption for Lagosians. Or how do we explain the flood situation in Japan in August 2025 or the flood situation in Florida, and Western Europe and other regions of the world with more resilient infrastructure, but Climate Change and not political correctness. Obviously, attending an Ivy League School is not a conferer of intelligence.
