Heart-wrenching scenes have emerged from Ijede, a community in Ikorodu, Lagos, where torrential floods have submerged streets, homes, and vehicles, forcing desperate residents to wade barefoot through rising waters. Viral videos recorded on August 3 and 4, 2025, show women and men crying for urgent help as their homes are overtaken by what they described as “a big ocean.”
One video features a distraught woman shouting in Yoruba, “We are in Oko Ope in Ijede. Have mercy on us. We can’t even enter the house. Everything is damaged. I’m not even wearing footwear. Come and save us, today is August 4.” Another man is heard lamenting how both inside and outside his home had turned into a floodplain, with submerged cars and furniture floating aimlessly.
The flood, which residents say began with heavy downpours overnight, marks yet another chapter in Lagos’ persistent battle with urban flooding. As of Monday morning, many families in the affected area have been displaced, with property loss running into millions of naira. According to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), Lagos is expected to experience more rainfall through Wednesday, raising fresh concerns of continued devastation.
Responding to the public outcry, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, took to X.com on August 4 to assure residents that help was underway. He acknowledged the circulating videos and noted that the state government had already awarded a major drainage project in Ijede under the directive of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Wahab ordered the contractor handling the project to immediately begin excavation toward the discharge point and accelerate the culvert construction to ease the current flood impact. “We apologise for the inconvenience,” he stated. “This is temporary. What we are doing now is laying the groundwork for a permanent fix.”
He added that the broader plan includes full concrete lining of the drainage channels once the culverts are stabilised. The Commissioner reaffirmed that the state remains committed to building infrastructure that can endure Lagos’ rapid urbanization and weather extremes.
As rainfall continues this week, residents are urged to stay alert, avoid flood-prone zones, and follow government updates. The latest disaster underscores the urgent need for accelerated drainage works and long-term climate-resilient urban planning across Lagos’ coastal and riverine communities.
