Oseni Seeks Mandatory Drainage for Every House to Tackle Lagos Flooding

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Managing Director of Frontier Commercial Services Limited, Mr. Olalekan Oseni, has called on the Lagos State Government to make drainage construction compulsory for every residential building, saying poor drainage planning by homeowners is contributing to persistent flooding across the state.

Oseni made the call on Monday during an interaction with journalists in Lagos.

He argued that while government has a responsibility to provide major drainage infrastructure, property owners must also play their part by constructing and maintaining drainage channels in front of their buildings.

According to him, every new building should have a drainage system connected to existing public drainage channels to ensure the free flow of stormwater.

“Once you build a house, you must have a drainage in front of it, and it must connect to an existing drainage channel,” he said.

Oseni lamented that many homeowners spend huge sums constructing magnificent buildings but neglect drainage infrastructure, a development he said contributes to flooding in many communities.

“Imagine building a house as big as this and you can’t construct a drainage in front of it. People are so concerned about what is inside their compound but forget that whatever happens outside also affects their community,” he stated.

Responding to concerns that drainage construction is primarily the responsibility of government, Oseni maintained that residents also have a civic duty to ensure that water can flow freely from their surroundings.

“Government will do its own, but we also need to take responsibility. If you don’t create a way for water to flow, it will create its own path and take whatever it likes,” he warned.

He noted that flash floods occur because many drainage channels are either non-existent or blocked, leaving rainwater with nowhere to flow.

According to him, even streets that are usually dry can become flooded after heavy rainfall because drainage systems are inadequate or poorly maintained.

Oseni added that rising sea levels and rapid urbanisation have made proper drainage planning more critical than ever for Lagos.

He also urged the Lagos State Government to simplify approval processes and documentation required for real estate development, saying policies should make investment easier rather than create unnecessary bottlenecks.

“The major role of government is to make things easy. Once any policy is not helping and only favours one side, then something needs to be checked. If approvals and documentation can be easier and more flexible, I think that will solve a lot of problems,” he said.

Oseni stressed that tackling flooding in Lagos would require stronger collaboration between government, developers and residents, insisting that sustainable urban development depends on proper planning, functional infrastructure and shared responsibility.