As part of efforts to address flash flooding around the newly constructed Agege Pen Cinema Flyover Bridge and other parts of the State, the Lagos State Government has called on residents of Agege community to stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels.

Speaking against the backdrop of the recent flash floods experienced at Oke-Koto and environs after a heavy downpour, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye noted that the flooding was caused by clogging in the main collector drain conduits along Capitol Road.

Noting that the Agege Pen Cinema Flyover Bridge was designed to eliminate the perennial traffic gridlocks across the intersections at Agege, Adeyoye said the adjoining roads were also constructed by the State Government with an adequate drainage system to mitigate the recurrence of flooding associated with the corridor.

She added that the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels by the residents of Agege community was solely responsible for the severe clogging and siltation of the drains, thereby resulting in the flooding as experienced recently at Oke-Koto.

The Special Adviser warned residents to desist from the act of dumping refuse into the drains, stating that the Emergency Flood Abatement Gangs (EFAG) of the Ministry of The Environment and Water Resources have embarked on desilting of the drains to allow free flow of run-off/stormwater and prevent flooding on the carriageway.

Adeyoye said: “At the moment the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration is making efforts to reduce the number of bad roads in the State. A drive through the streets and highways of Lagos will reveal that roads had either been repaired or are being fixed across many locations as Government is making frantic efforts to provide infrastructural facilities that will ameliorate the suffering of the citizenry”.

“Any road is as good as its drains, once we clog the drains with refuse, we compromise the integrity of the pavement and overall riding surface. Therefore, as we continue to prepare for the rains, people must stop the various abuses on road transport infrastructure challenges associated with the rainy season”, she added.

Speaking further, the Special Adviser emphasised the need to ensure the sustainability of road assets and optimise the level-of-service outcome in return for the most cost-effective financial input, calling on community leaders to be actively involved in guiding against vandalism of public infrastructure.

“The State Government holds as premium the responsibility of strategic provision of road infrastructure across the State. Sustainability also requires we engage with the citizenry to register in their subconsciousness and seek their support in terms of taking ownership of the roads and to guide jealously these collective assets against misuse and abuse”, Adeyoye stated.