Federal Government Denies Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Causes Flooding
The Federal Government says the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is not responsible for recent flooding in Lagos. Minister of Works David Umahi blames poor waste management and lack of state-level flood planning.
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The Federal Government has rejected claims that the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is causing flooding in Lagos, attributing the problem instead to poor drainage management and failure to implement existing state flood control plans.
Minister of Works David Umahi stated that flooding in parts of Lagos cannot be linked to the coastal road project. He cited indiscriminate dumping of refuse and blockage of drainage channels as primary causes. “The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is not behind the flooding,” Umahi said, according to a statement from the Ministry issued in Abuja.
Umahi emphasized that Lagos State has not fully implemented its master plan for flood control, which he said is a key factor in recurrent waterlogging. During a site inspection of Section Three of the highway, he pointed to clogged waterways and unregulated waste disposal as evidence of systemic urban management failures. “The flooding is due to non-implementation of the Lagos master plan and the actions of residents who dump waste indiscriminately,” he said, as reported by Vanguard News.
The minister dismissed criticism of the highway project as politically motivated, defending its design and construction standards. He noted that drainage systems along the corridor were built to accommodate existing water flow patterns and that no engineering flaws had been identified. The Whistler reported Umahi’s remarks during a Monday press briefing, where he reiterated federal authorities’ position that the project does not disrupt natural or planned water channels.
No technical assessment or independent study was cited in the statements from either Vanguard News or The Whistler to support or refute the claims. The Lagos State government has not issued a public response to Umahi’s statements. The federal Ministry of Works has not released hydrological data or environmental impact findings related to the highway’s effect on local drainage.