The Lagos State government on Friday apologised to the Lagos Island residents and business owners over the stagnant stormwater due to the ongoing regeneration construction in the area.

The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, apologised while speaking with journalists after an inspection tour of the ongoing urban regeneration construction at Aroloya, Oroyinyin, Ojo Giwa, and Binuyo on Lagos Island.

“We came to see what Julius Berger has been up to in the past few months, and we are glad at the pace of work that’s been done.

“They are taking a new position, raising the height of the road as well as out of the drainage, and you have seen the quality of what is being done there.

“To facilitate the construction work, we’ve had to temporarily flood certain areas and then pump out the water, which has caused some inconvenience for island residents.

“We apologise, and we are still apologising. The inconvenience is temporary for us to give a permanent solution to what has become a disturbing phenomenon on Lagos Island for a while,” he said.

The commissioner also took a walk to the Oja Oba and Adeniji Adele bridge to know the extent of work done to discharge the stormwater into the lagoon.

Mr Wahab said the project would likely be completed in two years and appealed to Lagos Island residents to be patient.

“The project will be in phases, which will be between nine, 15, 18 and 24 months,” he said.

Mr Wahab appealed to residents to dispose of their waste properly to avoid floods.

“No need to throw them into the drainage system. It’s a recipe for a crisis beyond flooding, health challenges, and other things.

“On our part, we keep doing the advocacy and also enforce and sanction people that are not ready to comply and are just outrightly incorrigible. So, that’s what we’re doing,” he said. 

(NAN)