Flooding remains one of the most damaging and recurrent climate-related hazards worldwide, and its frequency is projected to rise due to climate change, sea-level rise, and rapid urbanization. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2022) warns that intensified rainfall events and coastal surges will significantly increase flood risks for low-lying cities, particularly in developing regions where infrastructure and governance systems are under strain. Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial capital and one of Africa’s largest megacities, faces a particularly acute flood challenge. Its unique geography characterized by a low-lying coastal plain, an extensive lagoon system, and a high population density of over 20 million, makes it one of the most flood-vulnerable cities in West Africa (Aniramu et al., 2025). In the last two weeks of September 2025, Lagos experienced a severe flood episode that was especially
devastating on the Island and coastal districts, including EtiOsa, Lagos Island, Lekki, Victoria Island, and Ajah. Major roads were submerged, residential estates and business districts were inundated, schools and offices were closed, and  thousands of residents were displaced (Vanguard, 2025; Premium Times, 2025).

Although the most recent floods have disproportionately impacted the Island corridor, research shows that flood risk is distributed across the entire state, with mainland LGAs such
as Kosofe, Ikeja, Alimosho, and Mushin frequently experiencing flash floods from blocked drains and poorly maintained canals, and peri-urban LGAs like Ikorodu, Epe, and Badagry suffering from riverine and tidal flooding during peak rainfall seasons (Nwokoro et al., 2023). This spatial spread of flood impacts demonstrates that Lagos’ vulnerability is systemic and multi-scalar, cutting across residential, industrial, and peri-urban areas.