Minister of Works, David Umahi, has defended the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project against claims that it is worsening flooding in Lagos, insisting the road was specifically designed to reduce flood risks through extensive drainage infrastructure.

Speaking during a briefing, Umahi said the coastal highway incorporates multiple culverts, evacuation channels and other drainage systems intended to manage stormwater, protect nearby communities from ocean surges and improve flood resilience along the corridor.

“The coastal highway was designed to mitigate flooding, not cause it,” the minister said, rejecting criticism that the project contributed to recent flooding in parts of Lagos.

Umahi said flooding in areas including Victoria Island predated the highway project and blamed the recurring problem on blocked drainage systems, indiscriminate refuse disposal and construction on natural waterways.

He added that an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) had been conducted before construction began and made available to the public, while noting that the project was also intended to improve security along the coastal corridor.

His remarks come amid public debate following weeks of heavy rainfall that inundated several parts of Lagos, leaving major roads submerged, disrupting traffic and damaging homes and businesses.

The minister’s comments align with those of Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Dayo Bush-Alebiosu, who on Tuesday attributed the flooding primarily to environmental abuse rather than infrastructure projects.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Bush-Alebiosu said illegal land reclamation, unauthorised dredging and poor waste disposal were undermining efforts to tackle flooding in the coastal state.

“It is important to identify what the problem is in the first place, and the problem is nothing other than bad habits,” he said.

“I mean, illegal reclamation and illegal dredging affect it on one hand; habits affect it on the other hand.”

The commissioner said while illegal reclamation was driven by commercial interests, indiscriminate refuse disposal reflected residents’ attitudes towards environmental sanitation.

“At the end of the day, those who, out of habit, dump refuse aren’t doing it because they want to make money from it. However, those who are reclaiming illegally are doing it for commercial purposes. So, you have both sides,” he said.

Bush-Alebiosu also warned against dumping human waste into lagoons, describing the practice as a threat to both public health and the environment.

“The first thing is that some people even dump faeces into the lagoon. This is the same lagoon that feeds us. You’re eating fish that’s feeding off faeces,” he said.

“So all of these things eventually will come back to bite us, and this is just a typical example of what we’re seeing at the moment.”

Recent flooding has affected areas including Gbagada, Iyana Ipaja, Ikorodu Road, Ikeja, Maryland, Mushin, Ogudu, Lekki, Oshodi, Agege, Alimosho and Obalende, with sections of the Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Abeokuta, Apapa-Oshodi and Lekki-Epe expressways also inundated after persistent rainfall.

The Lagos State Government has repeatedly urged residents to stop blocking drainage channels with refuse and has intensified enforcement against illegal dredging and land reclamation, saying public cooperation remains critical to reducing flooding across the metropolis.