‘Lagos Flooding Reflects Collective Failure’

The President of the Association of Facility Management Practitioners of Nigeria (AFMPN), Olumide Aina, has blamed the recurring flooding in Lagos on systemic neglect and poor urban management rather than heavy rainfall alone, calling for a shift from reactive responses to preventive action. In a statement on the recurring floods in the state, Aina said […]

The President of the Association of Facility Management Practitioners of Nigeria (AFMPN), Olumide Aina, has blamed the recurring flooding in Lagos on systemic neglect and poor urban management rather than heavy rainfall alone, calling for a shift from reactive responses to preventive action.

In a statement on the recurring floods in the state, Aina said the annual inundation of roads, homes and businesses was largely the result of human actions and institutional failures.

“Every rainy season, Lagos drowns. Streets become rivers. Assets are lost. Lives are disrupted. And every year we recycle the same excuses: ‘unusual rainfall’, ‘climate change’, ‘government should do better’,” he said.

According to him, “the truth we refuse to face” is that “Lagos floods are not acts of God. They are acts of neglect.”

Aina identified indiscriminate waste disposal as one of the leading causes of flooding, arguing that drainage infrastructure meant to protect communities had been turned into refuse dumps.

“We clog our own survival. Drains designed to save us are turned into landfills by residents and businesses dumping waste. We pollute, then we pray,” he said.

He also criticised developers for building on wetlands and natural floodplains without adequate consideration for water management.

“We build without foresight. Developers pave over wetlands and natural floodplains for profit, then act shocked when water has nowhere to go. Aesthetics over hydrology,” he said.

The AFMPN president further faulted what he described as a culture of delayed maintenance, noting that drainage systems and pumping facilities often receive attention only after flood damage has occurred.

“Drainage systems are only remembered when they fail. Pumps are tested after buildings are submerged. Maintenance is treated as a cost, not insurance,” he stated.

He added that poor coordination among stakeholders had compounded the challenge.

“Government, developers, residents and Facility Managers work in isolation. No alignment. No ownership. Just blame,” Aina said.

Highlighting the role of facility managers, Aina said the profession extends beyond building maintenance to protecting lives and infrastructure from preventable risks.

“Facility Management is not the janitor of buildings. Facility Management is the guardian of resilience,” he said.

“While others react to floods, Facility Managers must prevent them.”

He urged facility managers to conduct drainage and pump audits before the peak of the rainy season, design facilities to manage stormwater through retention systems and permeable surfaces, enforce proper waste disposal within estates and commercial facilities, and deploy building management systems and sensors to monitor water levels and pump performance.

“Use data, not guesswork. Anticipate, don’t lament,” he advised.

However, Aina stressed that flood prevention should not be left to facility managers alone.

He called on government agencies, including LASURA, LASBCA, LASEPA and the state’s drainage authorities, to enforce planning regulations consistently and maintain public drainage infrastructure throughout the year.

He also urged developers and building owners to incorporate facility management and water management considerations at the design stage.

“A building without water management is a liability, not an asset,” he said.

He added that residents and tenants must also change their attitude towards waste disposal.

“Your gutter is not a dustbin. Stop dumping. Start owning,” Aina said.