Some of the affected residents, who spoke to journalists on Friday, said the flooding displaced families, destroyed household property and wiped out investments running into hundreds of thousands of naira.
According to Vanguard, they appealed to the Lagos State Government for urgent intervention, including the clearance of blocked drainage channels, completion of canal projects and provision of relief materials to affected households.
A poultry farmer in Lekki Scheme II, identified simply as Alex, said he had been trapped in his home for three days after floodwater submerged his compound and destroyed his poultry business.
“For over three days, I couldn’t go out. I’m on my bed right now because everywhere is flooded,” he said.
Alex said he watched helplessly as the rising water overwhelmed his poultry pens, killing several chicks and leaving him with heavy financial losses.
“I’m looking at my chickens dying. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. The eggs I managed to recover, I boiled them to eat,” he lamented.
The farmer, who said he had lived in the community for more than 10 years, described the flooding as unprecedented.
According to him, Lekki Scheme II had previously been relatively free from severe flooding, but the situation had worsened due to inadequate drainage infrastructure.
He also accused property developers of building over a major canal and restricting the natural movement of stormwater.
“Those developers built on top of the canal. They narrowed it and turned it into a gutter. That’s why we’re suffering this flood,” he said.
Alex called on the relevant authorities to complete the ongoing canal project and remove structures obstructing waterways to prevent another disaster.
Another resident, Johnson, who lives in Ajiran, Lekki, said floodwater entered his apartment at about 4am, forcing him, his wife and children to seek shelter in a neighbour’s upstairs apartment.
“We had to wake the children and move them to safety because the water kept rising. We have not slept properly since then,” he said.
Johnson said several household items were damaged, including a refrigerator, mattress, electronic devices, food items and his children’s school books.
