by Alexander O. Onukwue

It’s difficult to imagine how residents of flooded areas coped with the terrible event.

Some pictures and videos from witnesses show the inconvenience involved in mitigating the dangers theses waters are causing and the damage limitation being done by home-owners. Though it is common knowledge that floods happen every time in Lagos, it is not something people can plan for. It is the very unplanned nature of this flood makes it difficult to happen.

It sounds very much like when no one knows tomorrow but nobody plans when there is fire on the mountain.

Nigeria, on a general note, is in a period of great uncertainty, but we are notoriously late planners. The flood, as it were, has shaken the foundation of the heart of the Country, perhaps an indication and a klaxon to start making plans against the structure of the State.

Thinking about it, the failure to fix the drainages in Lagos and building increasingly on bad and vulnerable environments have opened the city to more dangers. That again sounds a lot like the current ambiance of the Nigerian state. The residents of Lagos may have been main casualties, but the lessons are for Nigeria.

Editor