Omokri Defends Coastal Highway Against Flooding Criticism

Reno Omokri, Nigeria's Ambassador-designate to Mexico, has strongly refuted claims that flooding along a section of the new Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway indicates a failure in its construction or President Bola Tinubu's administration. A video circulating on social media showed vehicles navigating a waterlogged stretch of the highway, prompting criticism from former lawmaker Dino Melaye. Omokri, writing in defense of the project, stated that the flooding is a natural phenomenon characteristic of Lagos Island, much of which lies at or below sea level, a situation exacerbated by climate change.

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Dear Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye, Thank you for raising this observation. However, please note that Lagos Island is one of the few places in Africa that is either at or below sea level. As such, and even more so because of climate change, the island will experience regular flooding.

Omokri emphasized that this type of flooding is not indicative of poor engineering or a lapse in the highway's quality. He pointed out that even technologically advanced nations like the Netherlands experience similar or worse annual flooding, underscoring that such occurrences are a reality of geography and climate, not necessarily a sign of infrastructural failure. He further elaborated that engineers have incorporated flood-mitigation measures into the coastal highway's design, anticipating such events and ensuring that water levels will recede after rainfall.

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This phenomenon has nothing to do with the quality of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway or any supposed failure of President Tinubu. It is happening as a result of a fact of nature.

This defense highlights a common narrative in Nigerian discourse where natural challenges are often framed within the context of national development and resilience. While international media might focus on potential engineering flaws or the cost of such mega-projects, the local perspective, as articulated by Omokri, often emphasizes the inherent difficulties of building in challenging environments and the government's efforts to overcome them. The comparison to the Netherlands serves to normalize the issue, framing it as a universal challenge rather than a uniquely Nigerian problem, thereby bolstering confidence in the project and the administration.

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The Netherlands is an industrialised and developed European country. But despite their technological advancement, many of their roads are flooded annually, worse than what you are mocking Lagos for. Please fact-check me: On multiple occasions this year alone, the Dutch government announced temporary road closures due to flooding.