Lagos Will Punish Officials Approving Buildings On Flood Plains – Hamzat

Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Obafemi Hamzat, says officials who approve buildings on flood-prone areas will be tracked and punished as the state intensifies efforts to tackle flooding.

Hamzat made this known during an interview on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, September 14, while speaking on the state’s flood management strategy and measures to prevent indiscriminate development.

He said the state government was strengthening its Geographic Information System (GIS) to digitally track developments and identify officials responsible for approvals.

According to Hamzat, the electronic GIS system would make it easier to determine who approved particular developments and hold them accountable where necessary.

“We are now making sure that it is now electronic and therefore we can track people and the moment you are able to track people, you know who is responsible for A and B and people will face penalties,” he said.

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Hamzat condemned the practice of approving buildings that do not meet planning requirements, stressing that a structure that cannot legally be approved should not be allowed to be constructed.

“I’ve listened to people say, ‘Oh, it’s not approvable but it’s buildable.’ That’s absolutely not acceptable,” he said.

“Whatever is not approvable should not be buildable because we hurt others when we do that. You build on a drain and the whole community floods,” he added.

The deputy governor said the government would take action against officials and others responsible for developments that contribute to flooding.

“What we will do is to track and make sure that people that do that has to be punished,” he said.

Hamzat also explained that Lagos’ geography and changing weather patterns contribute to flooding, noting that the state is largely situated below sea level.

He said Lagos has seven drainage systems designed to channel water across different parts of the state, but tidal locking can occur when receiving bodies of water, including creeks and lagoons, become full.

“Lagos sits on 2m, on the average 2m below sea level,” he said.

According to him, when heavy rainfall coincides with high water levels in the receiving channels, water can temporarily back up, resulting in flash flooding.

Hamzat, however, said flooding becomes more severe when drainage channels are blocked, stressing the importance of keeping them clear.

“The challenge is when those drains are not clear,” he said.

He disclosed that the state had deployed 1,000 people under its environmental flood management efforts to clear drainage channels.

Hamzat also appealed to residents to stop dumping refuse into drains, warning that clearing a drainage channel would have little effect if waste was dumped back into it shortly afterwards.

He said the government needed to improve surveillance and monitoring of the drainage network, including the installation of sensors in underground drainage systems to detect blockages.

“We just need to use technology a bit better,” he said.

Hamzat said the state was also expanding drainage infrastructure and dredging waterways to improve the movement of floodwater.

He disclosed that dredging was ongoing on the river that receives much of the water from Lagos Island, saying the exercise was intended to increase its capacity.

“We are dredging the Ikota River,” Hamzat said.

He said the government would continue to clear and expand drainage channels while encouraging residents to stop dumping refuse into waterways.

Hamzat added that Lagos currently reviews its drainage master plan every five years but may reduce the interval because of climate change.

“We do review our drainage master plan every five years. So maybe because of climate change, we need to take it to three years,” he said.

On the broader development challenges facing Lagos, Hamzat said the state’s rapidly growing population, particularly its large youth population, required a stronger focus on human capital development.

He said Lagos has a 30-year development plan and must train its young population to meet the demands of the global economy.

“Lagos must become the human capital of the world,” Hamzat said.

He noted that companies operating in the state sometimes struggle to find workers with the right skills despite the large number of graduates.

According to him, the solution is to bridge the gap between education and the skills required by employers.

“How do we match skills with talent? That must be our next target,” he said.

Hamzat listed artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and blockchain technology among areas where young Lagosians should receive training to make them competitive.

He also acknowledged that migration, popularly known as “Japa”, would continue, saying government could not prevent people from seeking opportunities abroad.

“We know Japa will always be there. People with Japa, we cannot stop human beings from moving,” he said.