Following 10 hours of rain in various areas of Lagos and Ogun states, business and commercial operations were suspended on Wednesday.
As a result, thousands of people were inundated, thousands of vehicles were grounded on the roads, and in certain parts of the states, schools were closed. A two-story structure in the Mushin neighborhood of Lagos was also destroyed.
While the Lagos State government claimed that the rain stopped at midday, in certain regions of the state it began at midnight and continued for a full twelve hours.
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In certain areas, the rain continued for ten hours, such as Berger, Ikeja, and Ogba.
After visiting some of the flooded areas, our reporters found that lengthy hours of rain caused roads and homes to flood in Iyana-Oworo, Agege, Ijegun-Isheri Osun, Gbagada, and Lagos Island in Lagos State.
Additional areas in Lagos that have experienced flooding are Eredo, Bojije, Epe, Sangotedo, Ibeju-Lekki, Awoyaya, Labora, and Abijon.
Major roads in Ogun State were drowned, rendering them impassable and trapping travelers, as ViztaDaily also visited Atan-Ota, Aseese, Ifo, Sango-Ota, and Ijebu-Ode.
The collapse of a two-story structure on Cameroon Road in the Mushin district of Lagos, which left seven people injured, was attributed to the heavy showers that started at 12 am.
According to Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, the seven victims were extracted alive from the crumbling building.
He claimed that the demise of the recently built building to the bad weather.
He declared, ‘Early this morning, inclement weather caused a building in Ewenla, Mushin, to collapse. Seven people were saved alive from the building.’
When the LRT arrived at the location of the event, it found that a newly built two-story structure had fallen.
After being saved alive, four men and three women were brought to a neighboring hospital to receive medical attention.
‘After searching the debris, the agency’s search and rescue team is able to certify that there isn’t a victim beneath the fallen structure.’ The area is still in operation even though it has been blocked off.
trips that are not necessary
The head of LASEMA also advised Lagos citizens to maintain composure and refrain from making any unnecessary travel plans due to the unpredictability of the weather.
‘We are requesting the wonderful people of Lagos to maintain their composure and avoid making any unnecessary travel plans since flash floods are common throughout the state,’ he continued.
The rain caused some schools in Lagos’ Alimosho Local Government Area—White Sand Estate, Isheri-Osun—to close, which had an impact on students sitting examinations right now.
Because of the dangerous roads, it was advised that the pupils stay at home.
White Sand Estate is one of Lagos’ most severely affected neighborhoods, regularly suffering from severe flooding, according to The Viztadaily News.
Poor roads, insufficient drainage systems, and a lack of maintenance are the main causes of White Sand Estate’s frequent flooding.
Homes were inundated by Wednesday’s downpour once more, with water levels reaching mid-level levels.
As our correspondent observed, a lot of the residents were stuck in their apartments with their living areas flooded and not even being able to sit down.
A parent, only known as Atinuke, forwarded a note from the school to our correspondent, complimenting the administration on their ‘pragmatic’ choice.
The message said, ‘Good morning, dearest parents. I hope your evening was wonderful.’ We have decided to close the school and postpone today’s exam due to the severe precipitation and the serious inclement weather projected for today. Almost everywhere is flooded, as you can see.
As a school, our top priority is to ensure the safety of our brilliant students. As a result, today’s school bus service is also cancelled. We apologize profusely for the inconvenience.
Atinuke bemoaned that water had overflowed her living space and demanded that the state authorities step in. room, making her take the furnishings out.
Look at the surroundings, she added; the rain has returned to my house. In Isheri-Osun, this is White Sand Estate.
Cars and motorbikes could not travel through the region due to floods, and pedestrians were seriously at risk because the water covered drainage ditches.
Johnson Olabode, the community development office’s public relations officer, voiced his annoyance by saying, ‘This year, we’re doing it again.
Water is present everywhere. When the rain started at three in the morning, I was up and just saw my house flood. Until the rain stops, we cannot even begin to remove the water.
He said that parents had received notification from schools to keep their children at home as a result of the harsh circumstances.
The Lagos State government has been urged by certain locals to take immediate action to resolve this persistent issue in their neighborhood.
John Adewale, a resident, bemoaned the fact that they were now forced to endure the flooding every year.
We now live in a nightmare every year because of this, he said. We are aware that our houses will flood every time it rains a lot.
We’ve been asking with the government to implement improved drainage systems, but it doesn’t appear like they will. There’s water all around us and we’re stranded inside.
Roads are submerged by flooding
Awoyaya-Sangotedo, Abraham Adesanya, Majek, and other major highways were also affected, and the situation was made worse by current road construction.
The chance to raise transport costs was grasped by motorbikes and commercial vehicles.
One of the residents, Anuoluwapo Atanda, Due that the clogged drainage in her neighborhood, Pen Cinema in Lagos’ Agege neighborhood, had an impact on their home.
It affected every property on her street as well as the one next to it.
Atanda stated, ‘The reason flooding occurs here is because the locals don’t maintain their drainage systems.” The waste-filled, clogged drainage system is the primary cause of the flood.
The construction on the connection road leading to my street is being attempted by the government, but it is progressing slowly and unevenly. This is not the season, in my opinion, to do it.
‘They recently finished digging the drainage system, so water isn’t flowing in it. As soon as the water enters, The gutter overflows into the road and into people’s homes as it fills up.
‘The flood has made for awful traffic.’ Since it is impossible to see gutters and potholes while everything is flooded, drivers are being cautious so they do not sink with their cars. Traveling from Agege to Oshodi took me approximately forty-five minutes; everything is chaotic.
‘This is Gbagada to 7up inward 3MB,’ announced Chu Osakwe, a user on X.com. If you have no business on the island, stay at home. #Traffic.
‘Just forget it if your morning route is taking the mainland via 3MB to the island. Reroute or head back home. I was just over on the other side, at the start of the Third Mainland.
The automobile doors are inundated with (Iyana woro?). On Wednesday, another X user said, ‘I’ve never seen that on the bridge before.’
‘Permit me to revise my recommendation. If you are a resident of Lagos, you should not even think about leaving your home today.
It is flooding everywhere. On the mainland, I wasn’t prepared for it to be this horrible. The resident said, ‘It’s flooded, and every road is blocked in every way.
When our journalist traveled to Ikeja, she saw stranded commuters forced to seek refuge and others waiting on the side of the road for commercial buses to transport them to their destinations.
According to The Viztadaily News, because of the water and traffic congestion, some commercial buses declined to take up passengers going from Ogba to Ikeja.
Moreover, broken-down The situation for drivers was made worse by automobiles.
Driver Tunji said that Ikeja’s inadequate drainage infrastructure was to responsible for the flooding.
‘Ikeja’s inadequate drainage system causes water to stay in one place, damaging cars and other properties,’ the speaker stated.
Due to the rain, there is a higher demand than there are buses available. For this reason, our cars aren’t prepared to travel to Ikeja.
Due to the flood and traffic jams, the supply decreased. Although that is unfortunate, what can we do?
Just because we want to get to work doesn’t mean we can make them trash their cars. It isn’t acceptable.
An increase in fare
The Viztadaily also noted that drivers of commercial buses and Tricycle riders raised the standard N300 transport cost to N700 for trips from Ogba to Ikeja.
A 54-second viral video showed locals in the Ojo neighborhood being forced to pay a bribe of N100 to access a different route under the Trade Fair bridge after a flood that flooded most of the region.
Lagos State Government officials detained a few people for allegedly extorting the locals.
‘You must pay N100 to enter the Trade Fair under the bridge in order to proceed. Additionally, this nation has a president. Watch their faces,’ a woman’s voice was heard saying in a video clip.
On his X.com account, Environment Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab announced that the insurgents had been taken into custody by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps and promised appropriate legal action.
As a result of a report from @ARISE0214, miscreants who were charging people to use the temporary crossover bridge, at Trade Fair this morning (Wednesday) have been taken into custody by representatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps,
Or @LAGESCOfficial, the author wrote. They will face legal consequences for their actions.
Several localities in Ogun State, including Sango-Ota, Alagbado, Atan, Oju-ore, and Lusada, were also submerged by devastating floods.
The construction on drainage rights-of-way and careless rubbish disposal, according to the locals, impeded streams, which resulted in flooding.
Rainfall caused damage to Atan-Ota resident Abayomi Rufai’s homes, which are valued at several million naira.
He blamed poor drainage channeling and drainage construction for the flooding.
and they had to quickly leave the residence. They bided their time for the water level to drop for three or four hours. The water is just standing still; it is not moving.
Calm has been urged by the Lagos State Government in reaction to the current circumstances.
Continuous rain
In a statement endorsed by Wahab, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, it was said that Lagos had been continuously, raining for around nine hours since the early hours of Wednesday.
The state had been receiving daily heavy rains since last week, he continued, and this had caused the Lagos Lagoon to grow in level.
The flash floods that flooded places like Iyana Oworo, which connects the Third Mainland to various other areas, would subside eventually, according to Wahab. The downpour stopped.
According to the commissioner, the state has also sent members of the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang to significant areas of concern, such as Iyana Oworo, which has been completely cleared of obstructions.
As a matter of necessity, he asked ‘all those in low-lying areas to relocate to higher grounds at this period to safeguard lives and properties.’
Additionally, he cautioned locals against driving their cars through floodwaters because they could be washed away, regardless of how many people were inside.
In addition, the commissioner suggested that citizens use the State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources’ daily weather data as a reference for daily itinerary planning.
The rainy weather also had an impact on Ogun State, with some such as Iperu, Oju Ore, the hometown of Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Joju bus station along the Abeokuta-Sango Ota Expressway, and the Sango-Ota under-bridge affected by floods.
‘I noticed slight flooding around Joju bus stop, Oju Ore, and Sango-Ota under-bridge and this I think is as a result of the rain but it is nevertheless nothing so threatening,’
Said Mrs. Adijat Ahmed, a resident of Sango-Ota. This kind of occurrence usually occurs during the rainy season.
It was also confirmed by Mr. Moses Ayinla that Iperu-Ilisan Road had some minor flooding. ‘the downpour caused some minor flooding on the Ilisan-Iperu road,
But this is nothing new—the road regularly floods after a significant downpour, even if the water eventually drains away after a few hours.
The issue with that We beg Gov. Dapo Abiodun to provide the ultimate solution to this problem because the location is drainage and the government once genuinely addressed it, but the issue has returned,’ he stated.
There hasn’t been any flooding in the area, according to Owolabi Babalola, a resident of Wawa, which is located right before the lengthy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway bridge.
‘The rain is a bit much here too, but even on the long bridge, there is nothing like flooding,’ observed Babalola. I just returned home, and I never encountered anything similar while traveling.
‘Though heavy rains can occasionally cause the area to flood, this evening when I returned from work, I saw nothing of the sort; Most likely, it has receded.
‘In Wawa, the rain is not normally the problem; rather, we used to have problems when the dam overflowed and was opened to release the water.
To guarantee that this difficulty disappears, we beg for further government cooperation and support.
Ogun calms anxieties
Concerned citizens were reassured by Ola Oresanya, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, that they had nothing to worry about.
‘As previously said in our April flood advisory to the public, the National Weather Service (NIMET) has reported that there will be flash flooding in certain areas of the state from July 3 to July 13. This is because the rain would have been hitting its apex.
‘After it rains, the flood will show up and then go away for several hours. The water would have subsided by now if you returned to the area where flooding reports from earlier in the day were made; this is a normal occurrence.
All that is required of the residents is caution and making sure they leave the house only when absolutely necessary.
He said, ‘We should also make sure that we fix our drainage systems the same way the state government has done to guarantee a free flow of water.’
Wednesday’s rainy weather caused minor flooding in Benin, the capital of Edo State.
Flooding in the Government Reservation Area caused traffic disruptions on roads such as Commercial Avenue, Reservation Road, Ikpopan, Aghobasiwin, Ihama, and Adesua Road.
It made the stretch of road beside the Prestige Hotel on Aghobasiwin Street and Ihama Road impassable.
In contrast, slow-moving automobiles were observed near the Government House and Nigeria Army’s 4 Brigade on Ikpopan, Reservation Road, and Commercial Road.
Blessing and Ife, two locals, said that the GRA’s lack of drainage systems was the cause of the problem.
For less than 30 minutes on Wednesday, there were light rain showers in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State.
It caused disruptions to commerce and other operations in the capital city, even if it was not accompanied by thunderstorms or flooding.
The Fajuyi-Ojumose Flyover Bridge provided cover for the Okada rider Raymond and his companions. Raymond stated, ‘As you can see, these light showers have interrupted numerous things.
The rain has had an impact on what I will make. Given the extreme cold, I have no doubt that the rains will have an impact on how people choose to venture outside.
‘The brief rainfall has disrupted many things,’ Bola Olugbemi, a commuter, said. The majority of traders, including hawkers in the well-known Oja Bisi and Oja Markets as well as in the capital city,
I sought cover from the rain by running for cover from the elements. Things won’t stay the same all day long once more.
The heavy rain that affected Akure residents also caused a slowdown in social and economic activity in the capital city of Ondo State as well as nearby settlements.
It was discovered that a large number of state employees were absent from work, and some store owners might be closed to the public.
But no reports of floods anywhere in the state.
The rains that began on Wednesday at around 2:00 pm did not spare the people of Anambra State, as areas of the state were inundated.
The Neni hamlet in the Anaocha Local Government Area of the state was especially hard hit, with numerous roads and houses swamped.
Places like Onitsha, the state’s commercial hub, experienced disruptions to vehicular traffic.
The Onitsha-Owerri Road was severely congested with commuters and drivers.
The traffic bottleneck on the often congested route extended from Upper Iweka to the Enamel section of the road.
A roadblock at Enamel, manned by some navalratings, exacerbated the situation. They were seen intimidating drivers on the street.
They obtained sums of money. tricycle operators, shuttle bus drivers, and truck drivers, ranging from N100 to N200.
To complete their illegal act, they blocked a portion of the road.
Drivers who refused to give up their money were also witnessed being spanked by the ratings.
Due to the traffic on the Onitsha-Owerri Road, many individuals were compelled to hike a considerable distance.
The Onitsha-Owerri Road is a vital route for us in the South-East, and naval officials have continued to make life miserable for drivers on the road, according to a road user who went by the name Ifeoma, the protagonist.
‘We are victims of extortion in addition to the congestion their roadblock has produced. Take a look at how they have blocked over half of the way they’re extorting us by employing a two-lane road as a checkpoint.
Because of the floods on the Awka-Enugu Expressway, cars in the state capital of Awka were forced to travel slowly.
