The Lagos State Government has sounded a health alarm, warning residents of Lekki that boreholes drilled in the area may be drawing from contaminated sources, posing serious health risks.

The caution was issued by Mahmood Adegbite, Permanent Secretary of the Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, during a stakeholders’ meeting focused on the state’s recurring flood crisis. In a widely circulated video clip from Channels Television, Adegbite said, “Everyone digging a borehole within the Lekki axis is probably drinking what I will call ‘shit water’, kind of.”

Adegbite linked the contamination risk to the region’s inadequate wastewater treatment system. He stressed the need to fast-track existing plans to treat all wastewater within the axis, noting that improved sanitation infrastructure could help prevent waterborne diseases in the area.

The statement come amid rising anxiety over irregular rainfall and worsening urban flooding in Lagos. Despite expectations of an August break, Lagos experienced a heavy downpour just days earlier. Officials say the climate pattern reflects deeper environmental issues linked to rapid urbanisation and inadequate drainage.

Also addressing the flooding threat, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab urged residents of flood-prone communities in Lekki, Ikorodu, and Ajegunle to consider relocating to higher ground. Wahab cited projections from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), which warn of heavier-than-usual rainfall and flash flooding across the state in the coming days.

“Those around the Ajilete axis of Lagos, that’s Ajegunle, must move,” he said on Channels Television “Some areas around the Lekki corridor too, not all.”

Wahab said communities like Mushin, Epe and Ikeja are likely to remain safe, but called for increased vigilance, especially around the OPIC axis of Isheri, where residents are also at risk.