Lagos Unveils N26bn Plan to Stop Ocean Surge

The Lagos State Government yesterday put the cost of finding a permanent solution to the frequent scourge of ocean surge along the state’s shoreline at N26 billion.

Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) gave the figure at the fifth Climate Change Summit, which the state’s Ministry of the Environment under the leadership of Mr. Tunji Bello organised in Lagos.

Speaking at the summit that attracted participants in and outside the country, Fashola said the state will require about N26billion in the next three years in order to provide lasting solution to the frequent ocean surge and protect the state's shoreline.

According to the governor, 'it is a project that is going to cost us N26 billion over the next three years. We are not getting any money from anywhere. But we have commited about N6 billion to this project.

He shared his experience on the ocean surge which hit Kuramo Beach just last year, stating that the state government was taken unawares by the surge because there was no budget provision to mitigate its consequences in the 2012 fiscal budget.

He said: 'In the implementation of last year's budget, we did not conceive that the uncompleted part of the Eko Atlantic City would be overrun by the ocean. The Kuramo surge late last year came and took away walls of properties from the end of Ahmadu Bello Way right down to Alpha Beach.'

'We did not budget for that. We did not see it coming. But what did we do? In the last quarter of the year, we called all the departments together that everybody must contribute some capital votes so that we can start an urgent protection of all of the properties on the road, right down to Alpha Beach.'