I still wonder why house rent on the island in Lagos state is so expensive, because tell me why house would be so expensive in a place where there is nothing to write home about their drainage system, any little heavy rain, the street will be so flooded it becomes hard to go out to get anything. Today happened to be one of those days I disliked the rain. It rained so heavily I couldn’t go out, not because of the rain, I have an umbrella, but because the street was flooded. I had no food in the house, on a normal day, I would have stepped out to get something to eat but I had to starve for a long time until I had no choice but to put my legs in the dirty water.
I was so hungry to the point I wasn't bothered about the flood again. everytime it rains, my street is always flooded, it prevents a lot of people from doing things they do easily. Let's talk about the students who have a school down the street.
It was even harder for kids to find their way home from school. I saw so many parents walking in the rain to pick up their children, while those who had cars had no other option than to drive out and save their kids from the waterlogged roads. The water was a mixture of both rainwater and dirty drainage water, a drainage that only God knows what people must have thrown into it. I wasn’t comfortable putting my legs in it, but I had no choice because I needed to eat.
On my way back after I got what I needed, a very heartless man drove past me and some students so fast that the splash from his car soaked me completely. The painful part was that he knew what he was doing, he didn't bother to stop to say sorry or see those the water has splashed on.
It still surprises me that Lagos Island is one of the most expensive places to rent or buy a house, yet people here suffer so much whenever it rains. Sometimes I wonder what exactly makes this location so expensive when the reality of living here tells a very different story.
Living in Lekki has taught me that beauty can sometimes be a mask. Behind the glamorous houses and high rent lies the ugly truth of poor drainage and constant flooding. And every time the rain comes down, it doesn’t just soak the streets, it soaks our daily lives, our comfort, and sometimes even our dignity. Many friends will always ask me this funny question anytime it rains "Hope you swim today" because they know how flooded the street would be. I hope something can be done soon so that the environment can be better even when it rains.
Thanks for reading. My name is Fashtioluwa. All images used are mine.
