In the literature, the power of material deprivation in fostering the vulnerability of marginal urban areas is well documented. However, other forms of power that drive and underlie the exercise of material deprivation are rarely examined. The recent call for a more politicized view of adaptation reiterates the need to highlight and pay attention to the influence of other sources of power that drives vulnerability and underlie material deprivation. In response, this paper, through a discourse analysis of statements from urban actors at different levels and from documents/literature, examines the power of discursive constructions in fostering adaptation deficits and entrenching the vulnerability of residents of informal spaces. Through the lens of Lagos, the paper draws attention to how the imbued power relations emanating from dominant discourses fosters ‘misrecognition’ and facilitates ‘adaptation deficit’. It highlights the discursive constructions on residents of urban informal areas as underlying and exacerbating the people’s vulnerability to climate change impacts like flooding. The paper suggests that addressing this subtle but potent power through recognition and ‘un-naming’ will facilitate viable development and adaptation policies that promote the inclusion objectives of the sustainable development goals.