Lagos warns of El Niño heat, tells residents to drink water and avoid midday sun
- Lagos has advised residents to prepare for extreme heat as El Niño strengthens and the dry season nears.
- The environment commissioner asked people to drink water, wear light clothes and avoid long exposure to direct sun.
- Children, older people, pregnant women and outdoor workers were named as most at risk.
Lagos residents should brace for hotter days ahead. The state government has asked people to prepare for possible extreme heat as the dry season approaches and El Niño strengthens, warning that the conditions could affect health across the city.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, gave the advice in a statement posted on X on Sunday.
Wahab said the heat could bring more dehydration, discomfort, breathing problems and poorer air quality. He named children, older persons, pregnant women and people who work outdoors as the most exposed.
He explained why Lagos is at risk: too many people packed into a fast-growing city, few green spaces and a heavily built environment. Together, he said, these can make the heat feel worse than the thermometer suggests.
“As a densely populated and rapidly urbanising coastal city, Lagos is particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures,” Wahab said.
What residents are asked to do
The advisory is simple. Drink enough water. Stay out of direct sunlight for long stretches. Wear light clothing. Cut back on hard outdoor work during the hottest hours. Do not burn refuse in the open.
Wahab also asked community leaders, market associations, schools, business owners and employers to take the warning seriously. Clean drinking water, shade and good ventilation should be within reach, especially for outdoor workers and those most at risk.
Beyond today's precautions, he urged residents to protect trees, plant more, keep green spaces and dispose of waste properly. The government said it would keep raising awareness and work with agencies and stakeholders to prepare for extreme heat.
El Niño is a natural climate pattern that starts when sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific turn warmer than usual. It can shift rainfall and temperature patterns around the world, though its effects differ from place to place.
For ordinary Lagosians, the advice matters most for those who cannot stay indoors: traders, okada riders, construction workers and market women who spend long hours in the sun. Drinking water and finding shade during peak hours can reduce the risk of heat exhaustion.
What happens next
The state says it will keep issuing public advisories and working with relevant agencies as the dry season sets in. Residents are expected to watch for further updates from the environment ministry.
