Floods are powerful.
I have lived in Lagos for ages, and every year, when it rains in Lagos and Lekki, there are floods….every year.
My first worry is that no roads will be built until the rains stop….The rains will stop and we be near 2018….another wasted year….Then Fashola will blame the rains…
My second worry is nothing strategic and institutional will be done…Lagos will hire workers to “clear gutter” with shovels…..one or two major drainage will be built and commissioned….shikena!…..till 2018 raining season
My third worry is that these floods looks to be everywhere…i saw news reports of folks dying in Kogi State…sad…if the rains cause floods then it affects our food supply… which will make inflation rise.
My fourth worry is that Lagos which accounts for up to 40% of the Nigerian economy is under water…..this will affect output and perhaps our GDP figures….many business won’t recover, jobs will be lost.
My fifth worry is sanitation ….Lagos (and other States in Nigeria) have no sewage system …its all “Soakaway” pits…now the flood waters have carried the sewage and garbage and taken it into people homes and schools….Cholera worries me.
However what worries me the most is that Nigerian’s have accepted that raining seasons brings floods….Lagos with billions in IGR cannot fix it’s drainage problem…its not even trying to…
The excuse you will hear is Climate Change and nature….i beg to disagree….The oceans did not rise and flood Kogi and Lagos…..nor did a Category 5 hurricane slam into Marina…no..the problem is simple…water from rains with no where to go because their natural paths have been blocked.
Lagos drainage…(where they exist) are clogged up by “pure water” and garbage…lots of new “luxury” unplanned “estates” have blocked the natural flow of water….this is man made.
So what are we to do?
i don’t think anyone has time for technical and geographic arguments of sea level and water flow. We need this fixed.The FGN with Lagos should just issue a global tender for a drainage and sewage system for Lagos State. Issue a 50 year bond to pay for it. It will be done. period.
The alternative is to watch Lekki become “venice” (small caps)…..remember Lekki has the new Dangote refinery. without that refinaary Nigeria will keep importing fuel…which is really my Sixth worry…..
It’s our problem …we can fix it
