Monday, July 13, 2026 -Several motorists and commuters were stranded in various parts of Lagos and Ogun states following a downpour on Sunday.
This happened after torrential rainfall caused huge
devastation in homes and roads across the states and other parts of Nigeria
exactly a week ago.
PUNCH Metro gathered that areas such as Agbado Road in Ogun
State and the Egbeda-Akowonjo, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road and
some other parts of Lagos were among those affected by the flooding.
In Ogun, the torrential rainfall left Agbado Road submerged,
cutting off a major alternative route linking several Lagos-Ogun border
communities and disrupting movement for commuters and motorists.
The flooding also rendered many sections of the road
impassable.
The road connects communities including Adiyan, Ope-Ilu,
Itoki and Abule-Ijoko en route to Sango-Ota and serves as an alternative to the
often-congested Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Video footage from the scene, recorded by our correspondent,
showed large sections of the road completely submerged, with floodwater
inundating roadside kiosks, point-of-sale stands and market stalls.
Several motorcycles were seen abandoned or partially
submerged, while tricycles and commuters were stranded as the floodwaters made
movement impossible.
A filling station located along the route was also submerged
by floodwater, while residents watched from higher grounds as commercial and
vehicular activities ground to a halt.
In Lagos, commuters also experienced a similar situation as
floodwater disrupted movement.
A resident, who identified himself simply as Obe, told our
correspondent that his vehicle was almost submerged by the floodwater in the
Idimu area of the state.
“The floodwater almost covered my vehicle’s bonnet. It was a
serious situation. I could not stop because I was afraid my car would get stuck
in the floodwater. I thank God I was able to navigate through it,” he said.
PUNCH Metro also observed as flooding obstructed movement at
the the NAHCO bus stop area of the expressway leading to the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport from Oshodi.
Nearby areas like Stella Sholanke in Ajao Estate witnessed
flooding because of blocked drainage.
Similarly, some X users expressed frustration over the
recurring flooding in parts of Lagos and Ogun states.
An X user identified as Packet Commander wrote, “After all
the demolitions in Lagos, flooding is still a recurring nightmare. It can’t be
blamed entirely on littering or Lagosians.
“Lagos should declare a state of emergency on canal
cleaning, maintenance, and redesign. We should see dedicated teams clearing and
maintaining drainage channels every single day.
“The money isn’t the problem. Lagos has the resources.
Employ more people, pay them well, reconstruct failing drainage systems, and
rethink the entire flood management strategy. This is an infrastructure
emergency, not just a sanitation issue.”
Another X user, Mr Stephen, said the flooding was the result
of years of poor urban planning.
“Flooding is exposing a bigger issue: drainage, road
maintenance and urban planning must keep pace with population growth,” he
wrote.
The flooding comes amid repeated warnings by the Nigerian
Meteorological Agency over increased flood risks during the peak of the rainy
season.
In its latest flash flood advisory, NiMet warned that
widespread rainfall expected during the first 10 days of July (July 1–10) could
trigger flooding in 27 states across the country.
The agency attributed the heightened flood risk to
persistent rainfall recorded in June, saying the continued downpours had left
soils saturated and unable to absorb additional rainfall.
According to NiMet, states at risk of flash flooding include
Taraba, Sokoto, Borno, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau,
Adamawa, Kwara, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Delta, Edo, Abia, Imo,
Anambra, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa.
The Lagos State Government has also continued to advise residents living in flood-prone areas to relocate to safer neighbourhoods.
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