It started like any other rainy day. The sky was cloudy but calm in the morning, and I was full of optimism that the weather would be friendly. In the afternoon, the rain began slowly, then it got heavier and heavier. It felt like it would never stop.
Initially, I didn’t think much of it. Here in Lekki, that day wasn’t different from every other day when rain falls. By evening, the rain had refused to stop, and when I stepped out, I saw that the compound was already full of water. I drew my neighbour’s attention to it and she laughed, thinking it was the usual thing. But before we knew it, the water started coming inside.
At first, it was slow. Suddenly, the water rushed in. I quickly grabbed my bag and laptop and ran to the room. My daughter was crying, saying, “Mummy, water is entering our house.” I didn’t even know what to do. I switched off the lights immediately because I was afraid of an electric shock. The generator outside was already covered in water.
That night, nobody in our compound slept. People were shouting, carrying their children on their backs, running around for safety. It was like a movie. The rain didn’t stop till past midnight. Everywhere was dark. There was no power supply. The rain had affected the generator set. I sat on a plastic stool, holding my child and praying for morning to come.
By dawn, I just stood behind the door looking at everything in the house and how damaged things were. The chairs, the television, and the carpet had been affected. In the kitchen, the gas cooker was affected, plates were broken. Even the wardrobe and all the clothes at the bottom were soaked. Books, documents, and my daughter’s school materials were all soaked.
I hired a cleaner, and we began cleaning everywhere using buckets to scoop out water. It took almost two days for the house to dry out. We threw the rug away. Even after repainting, the smell lingered for weeks.
If I calculate everything we lost, it would be more than two million naira. I had to borrow money to fix things bit by bit. The walls peeled, so we repainted. My daughter’s toys were damaged. The mattress became soaked and useless. It was painful.
Do you know what hurts the most? We pay big rent here in Lekki. Yet, there’s no proper drainage. Water has nowhere to go. Once rain falls, it becomes a disaster.
Since that day, any time the sky turns dark and appears to rain, my heart becomes troubled. Once I see clouds gathering, I start packing things up.
Some neighbours moved out after that flood. Others stayed, hoping the government would do something about the channel so that water could pass. However, nothing yet.
I don’t even know what will happen next time. I just pray it never repeats itself. That flood changed how I see things. One can live in Lekki and still suffer like someone in a slum because of the flood. The water came like a thief in the night. And truly, it stole everything.
As narrated by: Akeem Ibrahim (Lekki, Lagos).
This snippet is published as part of a series, Lagos Under Water.
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