…Residents Hail Wahab, Say “This Is Government That Works”
The Lagos State Government has moved another heavy machine into the fight against flooding, deploying a new swamp buggy to Ogombo Canal, Awoyaya two communities that bore the brunt of recent heavy downpours in Eti-Osa LGA, and Iponri in Surulere Local Government area of the state.
The ministry has also moved machines to Gbetu/Iwerekun at the back of Mayfair Garden in Ajah area of the state.
The equipment will reinforce ongoing desilting and channelisation works aimed at widening and deepening drainage networks to allow storm water to flow freely and recede faster.
The ministry promised to move machines to all the local governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.
According to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the intervention is part of a broader flood management strategy designed to deliver immediate relief while building long-term resilience in flood-prone areas.
Officials who spoke on the issue said that the deployment was deliberate and data-driven.
“We are not waiting for disaster to happen. Once we saw the pattern of rainfall and the pressure points, we moved in with equipment. Ogombo Canal is a major outfall, so clearing it has a multiplier effect on adjoining communities,” a senior official stated.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry reaffirmed the state’s commitment to protecting lives and property. It noted that other communities impacted by the recent flooding have also been earmarked for similar intervention in the coming weeks.
The government also called on Local Government Areas and LCDAs to pull their weight.
“Primary and secondary drains are the responsibility of the state. But tertiary drains within streets and estates fall to the councils. We need them to intensify desilting now so we don’t lose the gains we are making,” the Ministry said.
For residents who have battled yearly flooding, the arrival of the swamp buggy was met with relief; and praise for the people behind it.
They specifically commended the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, the Permanent Secretary (Drainage), Mr Olakunle Adegbite, and the Director of Drainage Maintenance, Engr. Jolaoso Sunbo for what they described as “proactive leadership.”
Mr. Tajudeen Ayanwale, a resident of Awoyaya, said that the Commissioner’s work is visible.
“I will personally commend Mr. Tokunbo Wahab. He is doing a good job. He is perhaps one of the best commissioners in the state and he is working in unity with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. You can see what he has done this rainy season. He rose to the occasion. History will not forget him for the work he is doing to develop the state,” Ayanwale said.
He added that unlike in the past when government response came late, this time the machines arrived while the rains were still on.
Mrs. Ada Chukwuemeka from Iponri echoed the sentiment, saying the Ministry has restored confidence.
“The Ministry of the Environment has risen to the occasion. Lagos is truly becoming a centre of excellence again. It has not been easy with the volume of rain, but they have proven they are up to the task. I appeal to Lagosians to cooperate with the government. Stop dumping refuse in drains. If we do our part, very soon we will have the Lagos of our dream,” she said.
Another resident, who gave his name simply as Tunde, a trader at Ogombo, noted the economic impact.
“Last year, water entered my shop and I lost goods worth over N400,000. This year, because they came early to clear the canal, the water passed quickly. Government should keep this tempo. Don’t wait until people cry before you act,” he said.
A community youth leader in Awoyaya, Comrade Femi Adebayo, also weighed in: “We have complained for years that Ogombo Canal was silting up. To see a swamp buggy here now tells us someone is listening. We will help by sensitizing our people not to block drains with sand and waste.”
While commending the state, residents were unanimous on one demand: sustain it.
“We appreciate what the government is doing now. Our prayer is that this should not be a one-off thing. Continuous clearing will save us from the pains of flooding every year.
“Let them come even in dry season. That’s when the real work is done. If we wait till rain falls, it will always be emergency,” said Mrs. Yetunde Balogun of Iponri.
Environmental experts have long argued that Lagos’ flooding problem is 40% rainfall and 60% human behavior — indiscriminate dumping, building on drainage alignments, and poor maintenance of tertiary drains.
The Ministry acknowledged this, saying public enlightenment and enforcement will be stepped up alongside the engineering works.
Officials disclosed that similar swamp buggy deployments are planned for other critical outfalls across the 5 IBILE divisions before the peak of the rainy season. The goal, they said, is to increase drainage capacity by at least 30% in vulnerable corridors.
For now, the focus remains on keeping channels free, educating residents, and ensuring councils do their part.
As Adegbite noted during a recent inspection: “Government can provide the machines and the manpower, but every Lagosian must become a drainage officer in their own street.”
With the new swamp buggy now grinding through Ogombo Canal, the message from Awoyaya to Iponri is clear: the state is present, but the partnership must be total.
If maintenance is sustained and residents stop blocking drains, Lagos may finally turn the corner on its perennial flooding challenge.
