The Lagos State Government has blamed the persistent flooding experienced across the state on unauthorised land reclamation activities and unhealthy environmental practices by residents.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Dayo Bush-Alebiosu, said human activities continue to undermine government efforts to manage flooding in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

According to him, poor sanitation practices and illegal developments along waterfronts have become major contributors to the recurring flooding witnessed in many parts of Lagos following heavy rainfall.

“It is important to identify what the problem is in the first place, and the problem is nothing other than bad habits,” the commissioner said.

“I mean, illegal reclamation and illegal dredging affect it on one hand; habits affect it on the other hand,” he said during Tuesday’s edition of the breakfast programme.

Bush-Alebiosu explained that while some residents contribute to flooding through indiscriminate waste disposal, others worsen the situation through commercial activities involving illegal reclamation of land.

“At the end of the day, I mean, those who, out of habit, dump refuse aren’t doing it because they want to make money from it. However, those who are reclaiming illegally are doing it for commercial purposes. So, you have both sides.”

The commissioner also expressed concern over the disposal of human waste into lagoons, warning that such practices pose serious environmental and public health risks in addition to worsening drainage problems.

“The first thing is that some people even dump faeces into the lagoon and things like that. This is the same lagoon that feeds us. You know you’re eating fish that’s feeding off faeces,” Bush-Alebiosu said.

“So all of these things eventually will come back to bite us, and this is just a typical example of what we’re seeing at the moment.”

His remarks come as several parts of Lagos have experienced widespread flooding in recent weeks following sustained rainfall, leaving major roads submerged, disrupting transportation, and stranding residents in affected communities.

Images and videos shared across social media have highlighted the extent of the flooding, with many residents calling for stronger enforcement of environmental regulations and improved drainage infrastructure to reduce the impact of future downpours.