Minister of Works, David Umahi has blamed recent flooding on the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway on vandalism and indiscriminate waste disposal by residents.
Speaking at a press conference, the minister said efforts made to protect sections of the coastal road have been undermined by acts of destruction.
He said that the protective installations, including green barbed wire along sections of the road, have been cut and removed by individuals.
“The fence we have done to protect the coastal roads is being destroyed by people,” Umahi said.
”The green barbed wire we put to expose the beauty of the coastal roads in a number of sections is being cut and taken by people.”
He cited ongoing work in Shagamu, explaining that the road has a width of 12 metres, with nine metres already paved and three metres left to be completed.
Umahi said that connecting rods, known as dowel bars, installed as part of the construction process, have also been cut and removed by vandals.
The minister said the flooding recorded on the coastal highway occurred because underground drainage channels were blocked with refuse.
“And this is the basic reason why we even have flooding in most cases in Lagos, where people carry their daily refuse and then put it inside the manhole. I think the public has a duty to check these things,” he said.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that the coastal highway is free, just like other highways in the nation. We will visit Lagos in the next one week. We will also take the press with us. Whatever we need to do additionally, we will do it.”
The minister noted that the ministry of works is doing everything within its capacity to address the concerns of Nigerians and to ensure that there is “value for money”.
“I want the public to know that in this ministry of works, no one is God. The public should know that no human being on earth is doing anything in perfect order,” Umahi added.
”There is no need for people looking for faults, because you will definitely find fault if that programme is being executed by human beings.”
Umahi thanked the Lagos state government and the state’s commissioner of police for deploying personnel along the corridor to prevent further vandalisation.
