A severe storm that reportedly hit the Ibeshe area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, on May 25, 2024, has left residents in distress and raising concerns about the state's emergency response effectiveness.
A resident and X user, @swaagsphotos, described the incident on Tuesday as a “Disastrous #Storm” that caused extensive damage to homes, schools, and electric poles in the area.
Despite contacting various agencies, including the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the residents claimed their requests for help have been ignored.
“At around 1:30 AM on Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Ibeshe, Ikorodu, a disastrous #storm damaged numerous houses and electric poles. I called the @lasemasocial 767 emergency services. After explaining the situation, the agent still asked me, ‘So what is your emergency?’” @swaagsphotos wrote.
The resident shared videos of the aftermath, showing extensive destruction, with many families left homeless and schools impacted. He lamented the lack of response from authorities, tagging the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency and the Commissioner of Environment, Tokunbo Wahab, but received no response.
“So many people have nowhere to sleep from that day onward, so many schools affected too. I tagged @LasepaOfficial and the Commissioner of Environment @tokunbo_wahab, still, nobody reached out to me,” @swaagsphotos alleged.
“Till this moment, @IkejaElectric people have not come around to fix these broken electric poles. Who really is in charge of things like this? Is it NEMA or @LasepaOfficial or @rrslagos767? Help me, I am confused right now,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a recent meeting with a reporter from The Economist, UK, Commissioner Wahab emphasized the state’s efforts to combat climate change and mitigate flood situations.
“Lagos is a small state by land mass but one in every 10 Nigerians is in Lagos. That puts a lot of pressure on the space, and 1 in 4 of Lagos’s space is water. We must take ownership of our climatic situation, it is not just a government thing, it is about all of us,” he stated on X in a post on Saturday.