Residents in once-thriving Lagos neighbourhoods, including Oyadiran Estate in Yaba and large swathes of Festac/Amuwo Odofin, are enduring daily torment as persistent flooding, collapsed roads, and clogged drainages threaten homes, cripple businesses, and create a public health emergency.
The infrastructure collapse in these communities has transformed once-serene areas into scenes of devastation, raising serious questions about government accountability and maintenance.
Oyadiran Estate: From Serenity to Despair
Oyadiran Estate, located in the Sabo axis of Yaba, is now a picture of decay. Smooth roads have devolved into stretches of gullies and deep potholes filled with muddy, stagnant water after every rainfall.
The root of the problem, residents say, is the clogged drainage system. Drainage channels, long blocked by plastic waste and debris, overflow within minutes of a downpour, sending torrents of water into ground-floor apartments and shops, destroying properties and stock.
Kunle Adebayo, a resident, described the agony: “I have been repairing my car almost daily because of this bad road. The local government has made countless promises, but none has produced results. Politicians only come during elections, promising heaven and earth… But once they win, they vanish.”
For small business owners like Mike Ojo, the issue is purely economic: “The rain sweeps away goods worth thousands of naira. I keep losing stock because of the flood.”
The crisis extends beyond inconvenience. The pools of stagnant water have created a breeding ground for mosquitoes, prompting fears of malaria outbreaks. The Chairman of the Oyadiran Estate Residents Association, Tayo Ogunyeye, warned that this is a “public health emergency waiting to explode.” He stressed that the entire drainage system needs comprehensive redesigning and reconstruction.
When contacted for comment, the Chairman of Yaba LCDA, Bayo Adefuye, declined to discuss the matter on the phone.
Festac and Amuwo Odofin: Total Collapse
The situation is equally dire, and in some areas worse, in Festac and Amuwo Odofin. Residents complain that almost all major roads, from First Avenue to Seventh Avenue, are impassable, riddled with potholes and erosion. The Alakoso Road, a critical connector, has failed so completely that only articulated trucks can dare to navigate it.
In Festac Extension Estate, constant flooding has turned open recreational spaces into mosquito-infested swamps.
Marcellus Onah, a lawyer and resident, condemned the neglect, pointing out the severe health hazard: “Millions of mosquito larvae breed in those pools. Once it is 5pm, you cannot step out without covering yourself head-to-toe, otherwise mosquitoes will feast on you.” He also fears that government work on drainages, which has dragged on endlessly, may be deliberately delayed to be used as a campaign tool for the 2027 elections.
Another resident, Kolade Ademola, expressed heartbreak, noting how Festac, once beautiful, has become a “disaster.” He lamented the alleged wickedness of leaders who neglect communities despite receiving monthly allocations and generating revenue.
Broken Promises and Fading Hope
Across both Yaba and Amuwo Odofin, the narrative is tragically consistent: neglect, failed promises, and indefinite delays of intervention projects.
Families continue to lose properties, businesses are crippled, and the communities slip deeper into decay. For residents, the fear is no longer just about the next heavy rainfall, but whether the government will ever intervene or if these established Lagos communities will simply be left to drown under bureaucratic neglect.
