For a couple of years, residents of some parts of Lagos State have been living in pain and fear.

This is attributable to the sorry-state of the roads across some communities, a development that has also led to the blockage of drainage systems in such environments and consequent flooding, which has rendered scores homeless.

Of particular interest is the Oyadiran Estate in the Sabo axis of Yaba, Lagos, where residents live in constant fear and frustration as the once-serene neighbourhood has become a nightmare of broken roads, blocked drainages and knee-deep floods whenever it rains.

What used to be a smooth drive through the estate has turned into a stretch of gullies and craters. Deep potholes have eaten deep into the asphalt, leaving gaping holes filled with muddy water. Vehicles now struggle to navigate the dilapidated stretch, while pedestrians tread carefully on the narrow edges of the damaged road to avoid slipping into stagnant pools.

On rainy days, the situation worsens. The drainage channels, many of them clogged with plastic waste and silt overflow easily, sending torrents of water cascading into homes and shops. Residents recount how, within minutes of a heavy downpour, their streets turn into a river, with water gushing through compounds and submerging ground-floor apartments. Motorists lament the danger they face while navigating the bad road on a daily basis.

Describing what residents face on a daily basis, Kunle Adebayo described the experience as tortuous. “It is a moment of agony passing through the road every day. I have been repairing my car almost every day because of this bad road.

“Nobody is ready to fix it. The local government has made countless promises but none has produced any positive result. They would come, make promises and go and we would never see them again.”

“However, during the election, the politicians would come with their promises. They would promise heaven and earth, even to build bridges where there is no river, but at the end of the day, when they get to office, they would not remember any of those promises. We haven’t seen anything, they are all failed promises,” he told DAILY POST.

Another resident, Mike Ojo, a small business owner, lamented that her shop has been carried away by the flood, due largely to the estate’s poor drainage system, aggravated by bad roads.

“The rain sweeps away goods worth thousands of Naira. I keep losing stock because of the flood. The drainages are completely blocked, and when water cannot flow, it comes into our shops and homes.”

Also, for Ismail Adewale, it is a nightmare. “Each time it rains, we will struggle with the road. There are times; Keke Napep will break down in the middle of the flood. Sometimes, we struggle trying to navigate the flood for our children to go to school. The road has completely failed and nobody cares. We have a set of insensitive leaders, who don’t care what their subjects are passing through.”

The bad road, residents explained, has worsened due to years of neglect and poor maintenance of the estate’s drainage system. The open gutters, once deep enough to carry storm water, are now choked with debris. Attempts by residents’ associations to draw government attention have yielded little result.

Aside from the environmental hazard, health concerns are mounting.

Pools of stagnant water have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, raising fears of malaria outbreaks. Children are often seen wading through dirty water after rainfall, while some houses have resorted to raising sand barriers at their entrances.

In the evenings, the failed sections of the road become dangerous traps for motorists. Without proper streetlights, unsuspecting drivers often plunge into the deep gullies or get stuck in waterlogged spots.

Others noted that beyond property damage, the floods expose residents to health risks. Mosquito breeding, water-borne diseases and foul odours have become a permanent feature of life in the area.

Speaking, the Chairman of Oyadiran Estate Residents Association, Mr. Tayo Ogunyeye lamented that the problem had lingered despite several appeals to government agencies.

“This is not just about inconvenience; it is a public health emergency waiting to explode. We have engaged the local government and other stakeholders, but we have not received any concrete response.

“Our estate was well-planned, but over the years, poor maintenance of drainages has combined to worsen the flooding.

“We cannot solve this alone. The entire drainage needs redesigning and reconstruction to handle the situation. That would mean the collapse of a once-thriving community,” he said.

When contacted, the Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mr. Bayo Adefuye said: “The matter cannot be discussed on phone.”

Similarly, the situation is the same, if not worse, in the Amuwo Odofin area of the state, particularly in the Festac, where almost all the major roads have collapsed and remained impassable.

Starting from First Avenue, to Second Avenue, Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, as well as some inner roads, have all collapsed.

Then leaving Festac, and moving to Amuwo Odofin, the Alakoso Road that connects the Apple Junction with Ijesha has completely failed such that only articulated vehicles can ply the road.

However, residents of Festac Extension Estate in Amuwo Odofin, are also struggling with mosquitoes as part of the open spaces in the estate are constantly flooded, making the places safe haven for breeding of mosquitoes.

Lamenting the environment condition of the estate, a resident who is a lawyer, Marcellus Onah condemned the government’s attitude towards the plight of the people.

He noted that politicians at both the state and local government levels have visited the estate at different times, particularly during elections to seek for the people’s votes and promising to do something about the drainages in the estate but has remained a pipe dream.

However, he stated that last year, what seems like a reconstruction work on the drainages started but lamented that it has dragged on for too long.

“In this estate, you can see stagnant, brackish water in the open spaces that were supposed for recreation. You can see the millions of mosquito larvae breeding there.

“Once it is 5pm in the evening, you can’t come out without covering yourself from head to toe otherwise mosquitoes will feast on you.

“When it rains heavily, nobody drives out of the estate, until after a day and sometimes two days, so that the water can recede for cars to be able to move. The situation is terrible.

“However last year, we saw reconstruction works on the drainages but it has been dragging since then.

“This is something that would have been done last year when they started it but as we speak, they are yet to complete half of the work. I don’t know if they are delaying it so that they can use it to campaign in 2027.

“We just appeal to the governments, local and state, to hasten and finish up work on the drainages. It would go a long way to improving our lives, especially with regard to mosquito attack and other environmental issues,” he told DAILY POST.

Also speaking, a resident of Festac, Kolade Ademola, described the condition of roads in the area as pathetic and unfortunate.

He said: “Some of us that have lived in Festac for over 15 years are highly disappointed at the state of roads here. When I look back at how beautiful Festac roads used to look and compare it to what obtains today, I feel bad. It only shows the caliber of leaders we have these days.

“Leaders who don’t care about the people they lead. They only care about their pockets. What we have today are a bunch of selfish and greedy leaders, whose only mission in leadership is looting of public treasury. If not, tell me how successive leaders could standby and allow major roads in Festac to degenerate to this level where most of them are impassable. It is a shame.

“What excuse can they give apart from the fact that they have embezzled the public funds meant to maintain Festac? Is anybody saying that the local government is not receiving allocation monthly?

“Why did they abandon roads in Festac to collapse to this level? What happens to the internally generated revenue of the local government? In short, I don’t like talking about this because it makes me so sad.

“This is the height of wickedness. People are going through hell on these roads, especially when it rains, no matter how light the rain is, residents must feel its negative impacts. It is quite unfortunate.

“I can only appeal to the concerned authorities to do something about the state of roads in Festac. It is good to note that the new local government chairman that assumed office a couple of months ago has started some major repairs in some areas.

“I think he will carry out major repairs when the dry season sets in. I want to encourage him not to toe the path of his predecessors. He should satisfy his conscience and deliver good governance to the people.”

Lagos communities groan over collapsed roads, perennial flooding