Sanwo-Olu, Umahi Insist Lagos-Calabar Highway Not Responsible for Flooding

The Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Works have strongly rejected suggestions that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project is the cause of flooding in parts of the state, describing such claims as misleading and unfounded.

Speaking during a joint inspection of the project on Tuesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, insisted that the highway was being constructed with adequate drainage systems and that the flooding being experienced in some areas was due to other factors, including blocked drains, poor waste disposal, and heavy rainfall.

Sanwo-Olu explained that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway was designed with modern engineering standards, including a comprehensive drainage system capable of channelling water away from surrounding communities. He said the project was not the cause of the flooding, adding that the state government had been working to clear blocked waterways across the metropolis.

Umahi, on his part, said the Federal Government was committed to ensuring that the project does not cause environmental harm to communities along the route. He noted that the highway was being built with the necessary environmental safeguards, including proper drainage infrastructure and erosion control measures.

The minister explained that the flooding being witnessed in some parts of Lagos was not peculiar to areas where the coastal highway was being constructed, stressing that the problem was widespread and largely due to poor drainage maintenance and indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

Sanwo-Olu urged residents to desist from dumping refuse in drainage channels, warning that such actions were largely responsible for the flooding being experienced in the state.

The governor also commended the Federal Government for the progress recorded on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, describing it as a critical infrastructure that would boost economic activities and ease traffic congestion in Lagos when completed.

Umahi reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to completing the project within the stipulated timeline, adding that contractors had been directed to ensure that all drainage works were properly executed to prevent flooding.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a 700-kilometre road project intended to link Lagos to Calabar, passing through several coastal states. The first phase of the project, which spans 47 kilometres from Lagos to Lekki, is currently ongoing.