By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Some Lagos residents have blamed the loss of trees and green spaces to urban development for increased exposure to heat in the state.
The residents spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.
A civil servant, Mrs Abiodun Adebayo, who began working at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, in 2010, recalled that the area once had mature trees and extensive greenery.
She said much of the vegetation had disappeared over the years as paved surfaces, buildings and other infrastructure expanded.
“Before, you could sit outside and enjoy the shade. Now, when the sun is strong, everybody wants to remain indoors,” she said.
Pointing to a section of Obafemi Awolowo Way, Adebayo said trees that previously provided shade had been removed, leaving the area largely bare.
Mr Adishun Okita, a resident of Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, for about five years, said he remembered seeing mango and orange trees in the area.
He said residents previously used the trees and open spaces to relax and escape the afternoon heat.
According to him, trees began disappearing about two years ago as shops and other structures emerged on previously green spaces.
Okita said a mango tree was cut down for infrastructure, while an orange tree in front of his house was removed to make way for a shop.
“Before, there used to be natural breeze brought by the trees. But right now, everywhere is hot because the spaces have been built with shops,” he said.
He said residents also used to gather under the trees during power outages to escape the heat and play draughts.
“Right now, we just stay inside and adapt to the heat,” he said.
Okita called for more trees to be planted alongside new developments to provide shade and improve outdoor comfort.
Similarly, a trader around Iponri Bridge, Mr Mohammed Sani, said the reduction in trees had changed how people worked outdoors.
Sani, who has traded in the area for seven years, said trees previously protected traders and residents from direct sunlight.
“In those times, the trees blocked all the sun. But now, the sun is all over the place,” he said.
He said traders had resorted to measures such as using umbrellas to protect themselves and their goods from intense sunlight.
Mrs Ngozi Afamefuna, a resident of Haruna, Ogba, said the environment around County Hospital was greener and cooler around 2016 and 2017.
She said trees provided shade for patients and visitors, recalling that she sometimes sat beneath them during hospital visits.
“It’s no longer like that now, and that is not good,” she said.
Afamefuna urged the government to strengthen measures against indiscriminate tree felling, saying tree protection would benefit residents and the environment.
A 2024 study published in the International Journal of Biometeorology found high heat-stress conditions in highly urbanised parts of Lagos, while less urbanised areas with greater vegetation cover recorded lower heat stress.
The researchers recommended increased tree canopy and green spaces to help reduce heat exposure.
Another 2024 study on street trees across Lagos’ 16 Local Government Areas recorded 4,017 trees belonging to 46 species. The researchers said the findings could guide decisions on areas where trees were most needed and support a more equitable distribution of urban tree resources.
The Lagos State Government has also emphasised the need to balance urban development with the protection and expansion of green cover.
Speaking at the 2026 Lagos State Tree Planting Day on July 14, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said anyone who unlawfully felled a tree without a permit was required by law to replace it with five trees.
The residents urged authorities and developers to prioritise tree preservation and incorporate more green spaces into urban planning as Lagos continues to expand.
