Environment
Lagos Residents Urge Efficient Drainage System
Some residents of Surulere
Local Government Area of Lagos State have urged the government to provide efficient drainage system for easy flow of water in the area.
The residents made the appeal in an interview with newsmen following a downpour last Wednesday night.
At Adelabu/Masha axis, a A nurse, Mrs Victoria Oyema, said:“We are appealing to the necessary state authorities to step in and authorise the local government to provide a drainage system that will end the flooding of the streets whenever it rains.
“The flood affects some other adjoining streets which shows that our drainage system in these areas are faulty, it also affects our children when going to school as they will be forced to walk in the flooded areas.’’
She added that a thorough check should be carried out to ensure that buildings are not erected on drainage channels, which could be the cause of flooding of the streets.
A lawyer, Mr Charles Mbata, also emphasised the need for the council to clean the drains as announced by the state Commissioner for Environment.
He complained that last year, residents were made to pay N3,000 per house, for the evacuation of their drains by the council workers.
“ We are yet to see the local government drain the gutters; we will appreciate it if they come and clear the drains to allow free flow of the waste waters into the canal by Shitta/Akerele axis.
“We suffer flood in our compounds where we live and this is not too healthy, we appeal that the Surulere local government chairman should come to our rescue.
A visit to some of the areas showed that gutters leading to the closest canal had yet to be cleared to ensure free flow of water.
Areas visited included Nnobi, Olufemi/Ogulana road, streets on Adeniran Ogunsanya, Shitta and its environs.
Efforts to get the comments of the Surulere council boss, Mr Tajudeen Ajide, were unsuccessful, as he was said to be unavailable.
An official told our correspondent that no official instruction that no official had been given to start clearing the drains or gutters in the area.
The official, however, encouraged residents to clear the drains, saying that the people should not wait for the council to do the clearing for them.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.
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