Battling Lagos ‘Tsunami'

Emeka Ibemere

Residents of Lekki/Ajah axis are jittery. They are getting a little worried about getting too close to the beach; which they once cherished like a goldmine.

Even property agents, developers, estate agents and those angling to buy properties in these coastal areas are no longer taking clients close to these parts of Lagos State. Why?

There is possibility of ‘Tsunami’ calamity of high proportion which nobody, including the government knows when it will happen.  

In Lekki/Ajah axis, which its shores are gradually been eroded away, residents now stay about 50/100 kilometres away from the beach.

It was reported that the Lekki Sub-Region comprises a naturally formed peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean East of Lagos City and on Lagos Lagoon. The peninsula is approximately 70 to 80 km long, stretching from Victoria Island in the west to Refuge Island in the east, with an average width of 10 km.

Last week’s ocean surge has plainly exposed the shoreline scale of the Alpha beach and posed a serious threat to the residents on the Lekki and Ajah axis of the Lagos State.

The surge which began through Alpha beach left scores of damage.

Prior to the surge, there had been reports credited to the scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. The report said there was a discovery of a very high possibility of ocean surge happening on the Sekondi/Takoradi through Malabo and stretched to the Gulf of Guinea with the most damage happening on the Lekki-Ajah area of Lagos Nigeria.

The report sternly warned the countries that lie within this stretch of the gulf.

The Lagos State Government followed with a warning of an imminent Atlantic Ocean surge at Lekki beaches, Lagos, and appealed to the residents living close to the beaches to evacuate to avert loss of lives.

The warning came after a surge was noticed on penultimate Thursday morning at the Lekki Beach area, with water flooding areas around the beach and offices such as the Silverbird TV.
The government said those living Lekki, Alpha and Elugushi Beaches should vacate now as serious ocean surge was imminent.
General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that tidal waves began at 3.00 am and lasted till 6.00 am on Thursday saying a repeat of the wave might cause damages in the beaches environ.

“For now, those residing along the shores should stay off. Those who are close to the sea can confirm that there are times the tidal waves are on the increase but the truth is that scientifically things are changing; climate change and other environmental factors”, warned.

“Those who live in Lekki, Alpha and Elugushi Beaches and their environs should vacate the area now because of the likelihood of the surge which could lead to severe flooding.”

Oke-Osanyintolu appealed to those going for picnic during Eid-ll-Fitr celebration to exercise caution, saying that accidents and emergencies that occurred mostly during period such as this, were attributed to the nonchalant attitude and carelessness of the people during holiday celebration.

He warned fun seekers not to go near the beaches to avert disaster, urging parents and guardians to keep a close watch on the movement of their wards to relaxation and recreation areas.

Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA, Lagos State Fire and Safety Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Nigerian Police Force and all the other agencies that were important in the management of emergencies in the State had been put on red alert to secure and protect the lives and properties of the people leaving and doing business in the State.

Despite all the warnings by the national weather service and other agencies, The Lekki/Ajah residents failed to heed the warning and are still living in fears waiting for the surge. Those who spoke to our correspondent said relocation is not an easy task adding that the government should come to their aides. According to them the state and Federal government should prepare an emergency accommodation in case of the surge.

 “Our government should develop an arrangement of survival to minimize the loss of lives and property. It is not when it happened now, you see them sending relief materials to us after the damage has been done. We should not worry about how much money has been invested in that area, we should worry more about saving the lives of our people”, Iya Bisi stated.

However, those who have the wherewithal have left their abodes for fear of the surge.

Some of the beaches suffered free natural flow of the waves and ocean current due to non removal of the wreck which has affected the beach. Trunks of dead and fallen coconut trees, washed up by tidal waves lay at the edge of the shoreline, surrounded by all manner of debris. The Lekki Beach has been damaged by the turbulent surges and stole the beauty of the beach. The beach which use to serve as business centre for the residents have temporarily gone off-centre for fear of the surge

Also worried are owners of some of the choicest real estate in the country, whose property would be at the mercy of the merciless ocean should it be allowed to run free.

For those who think that the surge was caused by an abandoned shipwreck, which has been impeding the natural flow of the waves for some years, may now know that the surge is a natural disaster especially in the coastal areas.

A recent event as analyzed by concern residents as a ‘tsunami’ waiting to happen in Nigeria. He said they need prayers to avert it. The threat is rife at the third roundabout at Lekki, where very rapid erosion is seriously eating deep the area.

Also, some kilometres down there, are the Alpha Beach and the front of the place where the new Chevron Twin Lake Estate. If a serious surge of high magnitude should occure; it will give the ocean a free access into the expressway and all the work the state government is doing on the Lekki-Epe Expressway risks a serious damage. Commissioner for Water Front Infrastructure, Prince Adesegun Oniru, said.

“There is nothing one can do until we actually change our attitude, because they are caused by nature. Residents should make sure they are careful around the Atlantic Ocean, lagoon and the water ways,” the commissioner warned.

He also warned residents to desist from dumping refuse into the lagoon, saying its adverse effect was always disastrous, adding, “The ocean and lagoon are not the best places to drop refuse.”

The commissioner explained that the high rise in the water level was normal due to the movement of the moon between May and December yearly.

Since 2008 to 2013, the surge has continued to threaten life in the Lagos Island down to Lekki/Ajah axis.

This year, the expected fear of another surge from the Atlantic Ocean is very clear even as government assured that there was no cause for alarm.

Experts say the ocean surge is usually prominent twice in the year between May/June and November. Lekki/Ajah residents may expect another one in November.

The Eko Atlantic City project, being promoted by the state government may suffer the surge, when it fully takes off, unless something serious is done towards stopping it.

The project, which is to create a new commercial and residential settlement in the reclaimed area, is expected to establish a new real estate market larger than the present Victoria Island but the threat against the project is visible with the surge waiting to happen.

But Oniru said the city would not go through what Victoria Island is presently going through because there would be eight metres of shoreline to protect the city. According to him the development of the city was the permanent solution to the erosion problem at the beach area

His words: “Lagosians should be rest assured that there is no danger at the Bar Beach. What is happening is natural occurrence. Our responsibility as a government is to clear the sand washed ashore”.

A resident of Lekki disclosed that some youths who advertently looking for money usually dug holes in sand to trap unsuspecting motorists for extortion. It was gathered that the youths were those who used to push out vehicles stuck in the sand while trying to avoid the heavy traffic on the expressway. But with the relaxation of the traffic, they now resort in passing vehicles on the coastline, where they had dug holes in the sand to trap unsuspecting motorists.

Those who spoke to our correspondent claimed that the Alpha Beach flooding could have long been avoided completely, had the Lagos state government not banned sand-dredging without consultation. According to them, the result of that ban has been an upsurge in the activities of illegal sand miners along the entire Lekki Peninsula Atlantic coastline, which is rendering the coastal communities vulnerable to flooding by the

In October 25, 2010 the Atlantic Ocean overflowed its normal limits along the Alfa Beach coastline in Eti Osa Local Government of Lagos state. It was reported that the surge started at about 3.00 am, as residents started to move their properties from the shops and buildings along the beach.

The ocean surge caused incidental flooding of the Lekki Beach-Okun Aja access road and its environs for about two hours and salty flood water gained access to adjacent buildings within Alfa Beach community and the neighbouring Estates near Igbo Efon.

Residents of Lekki/Ajah are used to the occasional sea surges, but the magnitude of such and its impacts have always been minimal. The erosion of the coastline in Alfa Beach continues unabated and is currently being aggravated by the abandonment of ocean vessels (a ship and cargo barge) at the Lekki Beach end of the coastline. This Beach has suffered severe erosion and loss of hundreds of coconut trees.

It is regrettable that practical steps are yet to be taken to address the ecological challenges being faced by the residents living on the Nigerian coastline, despite the regular advocacy on climate change and its attendant effects on human populations and ecosystems.

Environmentalists have called for blanket construction of dams around the axis to avoid the overflow of the flood.

There are reports that estate values are dropping on the once high-brow Lekki/Ajah axis of Lagos with the threats of the ‘tsunamis that have been taking place in Lagos.

“People are no longer interested in buy properties in these areas because of the ocean surge threats. Soon people will be running away from these areas” Mr Marcel Okwudili, an estate agent said.

“I have a client who wants to sell some couple plots there but I am not interested seeing the recent surge there”.

On their own the residents have tried to dump heaps of sand bags to serve as a rampart against the regular waves of the Ocean but experts say it cannot be effective when a major surge occurs. Some residents complain of people who go about carrying sand from the shores. And by climbing the heaps they eventually create gaps in the wall and later level the heap. But because there is no regular monitoring, the solution remained unsolved.

Residents and leaders of 10 communities on the coastline of Alpha and Maiyegun beaches in the Lekki-Ajah axis of Lagos State are facing serious nightmare.

According to community leaders from the area, property worth over N5 billion was destroyed in the October 2011 incident. They said that the compensation promised them by the state government was yet to come, almost two years after their homes and businesses were swept away.

The affected communities are Igbo Efon, Maiyegun, Aro, Lafiaji, Alpha Beach, Okun Ajah, Mopo-Etiosa and Ibeju Lekki, which jointly appealed to the state government and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to intervene by promptly removing the abandoned ship to avert another looming disaster, as the erosion caused by the dumped vessel was already affecting buildings close to the beach.

An expert at the Nigerian Institute of Oceanic and Marine Research, Victoria Island, Lagos, Dr. Regina Folorunsho, a geo-physicist, was quoted to have said in a recent report that Lagos had the highest rate of erosion of about 20 to 25 metres, as the entire state is a maritime environment, which makes the whole of Lekki lagoon to be water-dominated.

According to Folorunsho, there were seasons when the ocean intensified in the Lagos waterways between the month of May and October, adding that the state had the highest eroding beach being the third in Africa.

Last year, some states in Nigeria witnessed horrific flooding disasters which claimed many lives. This year, the affected areas are expecting more damaging floods. But as it is, it’s only God who can stop the impending tsunami waiting to happen.