From Rotimi Asher Lagos
African Cities Research Consortium ,ACRC, has selected Lagos as one of five African cities to benefit from a landmark urban sustainability project aimed at tackling the pressing challenges of rapid urbanization, climate change, and infrastructure development.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the ACRC team to the Lagos State Government yesterday, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, said the partnership would strengthen the state’s efforts toward inclusive urban transformation and environmental resilience.
“I would like to express appreciation to this team for giving Lagos the opportunity to be part of those five cities in the continent that you chose for this project.
“For those who are familiar with Lagos, it’s a very unique state. Unique in every sense. Lagos is the smallest state in Nigeria in terms of landmass”, Wahab said.
The Commissioner highlighted Lagos’s geographical vulnerabilities, noting that one-third of its 3,575 square kilometers is covered by water, and the state lies below sea level conditions that expose it to the dual threats of flooding and extreme heat as climate change intensifies.
“We are also being very audacious to say to people that, “we can’t allow you to destroy the environment and consequently, if you build on a stormwater part of a wetland, the government would remove those structures and let that stormwater have access to discharge”, he said.
He noted that the state government has moved from a “collect and dump” waste model to a circular economy, introduced pumping stations in flood-prone areas like Lagos Island, and now enforces strict environmental policies, including the demolition of buildings on natural stormwater pathways.
“These were very tough decisions in the light of the fact that we are a growing economy but science has shown us and research has shown us the quantum of plastics that we discharge on a daily basis and we have no choice but to take those hard decisions”, Wahab added.
Responding, Head of Programme Delivery for ACRC at the University of Manchester, Irene Vance, praised Lagos’s proactive approach and emphasized the importance of collaborating with local governments to drive real change.
She highlighted the need to collaborate with sub-national governments to assist cities in tackling major development issues, including transportation, water, sanitation, health, and security.
Vance cited ongoing ACRC-supported projects in Okerube, Alimosho Local Government Area, and a public lighting initiative in Ajegunle, under Ajeromi-Ifelodun LGA, as examples of the partnership’s growing impact.
