Lagos State could face severe environmental threats from climate change, including the possibility of being submerged by rising sea levels, Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat has warned.
Speaking at a Strategic Stakeholders’ Meeting organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice at the Radisson Blu Hotel, GRA, Ikeja on Wednesday, Hamzat stressed the urgent need for action to prevent future natural disasters.
He pointed to global examples, such as New York City and the United Kingdom, where residents are relocating to avoid climate risks.
“Today, both Lagos and New York City are sinking,” Hamzat stated, highlighting the city’s vulnerability due to its geography, population density, and coastal location.
With a 180-kilometre shoreline and over 22 million residents occupying a small land area, Lagos faces rising sea levels, extreme heat, and unpredictable weather patterns.
The deputy governor called for better planning and land management, criticising poor regulations that make Lagos more vulnerable.
“The biggest challenge now is how to manage our laws,” he said, adding that compensation and relocation costs hinder projects such as rail developments.
“To build the red line, we paid compensation of N9 billion without doing anything—we’ve not bought anything, just to move people away—and that’s why most states cannot do it. It’s not possible. So, Lagos is the only state in the world that has done something like that—like a rail on our balance sheet. Others require Federal involvement,” he said.
Hamzat urged changes in land ownership laws and planning regulations, calling for collaboration among lawyers, judges, and policymakers to address these environmental threats.
“In the next 20 to 25 years, our priorities must change. So I should be able to say this and that estate must go. So how do we make the laws? If not, our state is threatened.
The deputy governor emphasised the need to learn from other cities, noting that New York has halted new high-rise developments to reduce the pressure on its sinking land. He urged stakeholders to align efforts to protect Lagos from looming climate risks.
“So how do we come together as a people to look at this existential threat to our survival, to protect our state, and change our laws? Our lawyers must know it, and our judges must know it for us to survive. In the city of New York now, they’ve stopped high-rise approval for the next few years because the city is sinking. They are smart!” He said.
