Flood wreaks havoc in Ibadan, again •Houses, churches, mosques, shops destroyed •Flood would’ve been worse but for our efforts —Oyo govt

                     A Flood scene

                               

OYO - MANY houses, churches, mosques and shops in some parts of Ibadan were in the early hours of Sunday submerged in flood as a result of a rain which started on Saturday evening and lasted till the early hours of Sunday.

In some areas visited by our source, namely Olugbode end of Odo-Ona and Oke-Ayo, in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State on Sunday July 15, 2012, said no life was reported lost, but many residents were rendered homeless with personal belongings worth millions of naira lost in what looked like a repeat of the fatal August 26, 2011 flood disaster, which claimed many lives and properties in the city.

One of the residents of Oyelade Street, Odo-Ona, Ibadan, Mr Abdulrahaman Bello, a factory worker at 7UP Bottling Company, whose personal belongings were still trapped in his apartment at the time our source visited the place, said, “I have lost everything to the flood. All my electronics and other valuables are gone. I only relocated to this place in January and nobody hinted me that this house was prone to flood until after I had settled in.

“Ever since I learnt that there could be flooding after heavy rain, I told my wife that whenever I was not around and there was rain, she should try and pack some of our belongings upstairs and move out of the house with the children. But I don’t know why she failed to pack them last night as I was away at work on night duty,” he said in a faint voice.

A shop owner in the area, Mrs Ranti Owolanfe, said: “The houses affected have been witnessing flood since 1980. I could remember at that time that people were helped with ladder before they could come out of the house. Also in 2011, the same thing happened. In fact, everyone  in that house had to leave. But it is so sad that months after, we saw the estate agent placing an advert in front of the house that rooms were available for rent.”

Mr Emeka Chris, a poultry farmer, who is a resident of Babalakin House, Ogunremi Street, Oke-Ayo, Ibadan, narrated the story of how he lost his Toyota Camry car to the flood last year and how he had been coping with staying in the house one year after and witnessing another flood disaster.

He said, “I was staying downstairs before but when the person living upstairs left, I had to move.

“The experience has been so terrible because I lost one of my cars to the last flood that happened. Up till now, I am yet to recover all that I lost.”

When asked how he managed to come out of the house, he said, “somebody came and started calling me to come out and I carried the children and my wife out of the house before the water then got out of control.  That was around 4.30 a.m.”

Chris, however, urged the government to demolish structures that are very close to the river and channelise the river like it was done to the Ogunpa River, adding that without this, the flood would be a yearly occurrence.

Our source reliably gathered that the Oyo State government had intended to demolish some houses in some of the riverine areas of Oke-Ayo, Odo-Ona, after the 2011 flood, but the landlord association of the affected areas dragged the state government to court in order to stop it from carrying out the exercise.

It was then that the governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, told them that they would be at the mercy of flood, if they stopped the government from demolishing the houses and relocate them to another place that would be provided by the government in order to begin work on the river. The governor added that government would not take responsibility for any future flood disaster thereafter.

Our source recalls that nine members of Mr Olukunle Oke family, including a pregnant woman and a four-month old baby lost their lives during the August 26, 2011 flood at Oke-Ayo, Odo-Ona Ibadan.

Meanwhile, residents of Apete community in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday, also woke up to discover that they had once again been cut off from the other parts of city, when the temporary pedestrian bridge constructed to ease movement in and out of the community was destroyed by flood before daybreak, as a result of the rain which started on Saturday.

It will be recalled that the pedestrian bridge was constructed about seven weeks ago to serve the residents of the community and to enable the contractor to start work on the construction of a new bridge to replace the one that was washed away during the flood that occurred on August 26, 2011.

When our source visited the bank of the river over which the bridge was built, the flood water flowed in high current while the earth had eaten deep on the river sides, showing imminent collapse if stood on for too long.

Many residents of the community, who converged on the river bank, expressed displeasure at what they termed insensitivity on the part of the state government towards the plight of the community, going by the calibre of the contractor handling the bridge work and the pace at which the work was going.

One of the residents, Mr Gbola Olajire, who spoke with our source, said it was unfortunate that residents of Apete were being regarded as animals, while the community was being seen as a village, hence its neglect by successive governments.

He stated further that the energy and fund being dissipated towards the flyover bridge at Mokola should have been channelled towards areas such as Apete and others.

Many residents going to their places of worship stood at the river side, unsure of what to do, while others turned back, with a view to finding churches within the community to worship.

Meanwhile, students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, have said they would converge on the Apete riverside on Monday, to protest being cut off from getting to their institution.

This is just as they threatened that they would not allow the contractor to continue work until an alternative was found for Apete residents.

The students, led by one Adebowale Falana, lamented that the government had failed in its promise, which was made through the commissioner for works, that pedestrian bridges would be constructed to complement the one washed away by the flood.

“If it took about three days to construct the pedestrian bridge that was washed away, you can imagine that we may be holed in our homes for the next one week. Our exams are fast approaching and we must have access to our school,” he added.

The government has, therefore, said but for the measures it undertook late last year and early in the year in constructing nine critically dilapidated bridges and dredging 43 rivers and streams across the state, the flooding that occurred in Ibadan, between Saturday and Sunday, would have been worse.

The government made this known in a release issued by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr Festus Adedayo, on Sunday.

According to the release, government undertook the dredging of the rivers and construction of the bridges so as to prevent the reoccurrence of August 26, 2011 flooding in the state, wherein many people lost their lives and properties.

The release said upon hearing the calls of residents in the early hours of Sunday, government immediately dispatched a team of commissioners, special advisers, State Emergency Management Agency officials, as well as the state fire-fighting team to the affected areas, so as to have a first-hand assessment of the flooding.

According to the release, the report of the team would also enable the government to assess further urgent areas of intervention of the state, as well as boost its flood-fighting mechanisms.

                                                                                         

A GUTTER OR BUSH

Nothing seems to be right in Ifo Local Government in Ogun State Nigeria as the infrastucture is nothing to write about. At Onibudo in Tipper garage, in Akute, Ogun State Nigeria, this gutter which is designed to channel rain water to the right place so as to avoid flood has automatically become a bush courtesy of the lackadaisical attitude of the local government despite the vote that runs into Millions of Naira they get from the state to put things right. Last year`s rains was a disaster in this area just because gutters are not constructed and the few that are in place like this one that has turned into a bush are not well constructed and maintained. We are just entering into another raining season, with this kind of gutter turned into bush, will last year`s flood that claimed lives and properties in this local government area which was caused because the gutters could not channel rain waters properly, not repeat itself this year? Picture above shows the gutter at Onibudo in Tipper Akute, Ogun State Nigeria on April 21, 2012

  

OJU-ODO IJOKO ROAD, OGUN STATE FLOODED BY JUST A LIITLE RAIN

It didn`t rain heavily on April 19, 2012 and the Oju-Odo Ijoko Road in Ogun state has already started experiencing this kind of flood, what will happen when the Rain falls heavily asked a passer-by? The rain has just began and we are just entering into it`s season and infrastructure to avoid this kind of embarassing situation has not been put in place the passer-by said. These politicians are the same. When the former governor of Ogun state Gbenga Daniel was there he did nothing to improve the lot of the inhabitants of the state, now another governor from another party named Ibikunle Amosu from Action Congress of Nigeria is now in charge and he is yet to do anthing concerning infrastructure in this area. According to the passer-by who refused his picture taken and refused to give his details, he said that the most annoying thing about the situation is that the incumbent goveror used to reside in this area, Olambe to be specific yet nothing has been done to avoid this ugly sight he queried. I wonder how this place will be like when it starts raining heavily because we are just entering into the raining season he remarked. Picture above shows the flood at Oju-Odo, Ijoko Road Abule Ekun in Ogun state Nigeria on April 19, 2012 caused by just a little Rain that fell.   

  

FLOOD TAKES OVER OANDO FILLING STATION

Oando filling station situated at Ojodu Akute Road in Alagbole Ogun State Nigeria was flooded by water on April 18, 2012.

IFO LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL IN OGUN STATE SHUNS RESPONSIBILITIES

One of the primary responsibilities of a local government is to provide roads, good drainage system etc in it`s locality but this is not so in the case of Ifo Local Government area in Ogun state South-West of Nigeria. Most Roads in Ifo Local Government area in Ogun State are not tarred and there are no good drainage systems and the very few drainage systems that are in place were done by the association of landlords. Rain is supposed to be a blessing but in Ifo Local Government area in Ogun state, it is not because the infrastructure is not in place to channel waters into the right places thus, bringing panic into the lives of the inhabitants of Ifo LGA when rainy season approches as the case is presently. Most landlords in Ifo LGA have now taken up the responsibility of the local government council who get millions of Naira as vote every month from the state to provide infrastructure and will not. These Landlords have now setup their own Community Development Associations so as to be able to put in place the necessary infrastructure to make their communities habitiable. At Bode/Edun Alubankudi area in Ajuwon, under Ifo LGA, the landlords formed a Community Development Association which is known as Bode/Edun Alubamkudi Community Development Association. The purpose of this association is to provide such infrastructure as a tarred road and a good drainage system which will channel waters into the right places and will prevent flood in the community says the street guard who refused to give us his name. According to the street guard, the absence of a good drainage system in the community has caused people in the community a lot. Last year`s rains cause some landlords their fence, spoit some tenants valuable properties etc just because there are no good drainage systems. According to the guard, the executves of Bode/Edun Alubankudi CDA have met with the governor of Ogun state in the person of Ibukunle Amosu and so far, nothing has been done. The community has then decided to set a target for themselves that this year(2012), the association will construct a drainage system that is solid so that when is rains, the flood will not run into the homes of people but will be channelled into the right place with the help of a good drainage system. The guard went ahead to explain that the strategy the community wants to use to raise the money is by taxing vehicle and bike owners. Bike riders that enter the community pay Ten Naira, Cars pay Twenty Naira, Tippers pay Fifty Naira and Trailers pay hundred Naira. The guard refused to let us know how much is made per day and how much the project will cost. The big question then is, the money given to Ifo Local Government Area in Ogun State Nigeria, what is it used for? Picture above shows the untarred road without a drainage facility at Bode/Edun Alubankudi community in Ajuwon under Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The main entrance to the community

The guard collecting money from a commercial motorcyclist who is about to enter the community Motorcyclists pay Ten Naira.

The guard collecting money from the driver of the car. Cars pay Twenty Naira before they can enter the community

The guard discussing the price the Tipper driver must pay before he can drive into the community . Tippers pay Fifty Naira.

A FENCE FALLEN BY THE FLOOD

The lack of government presence concerning good drainage system caused a flood at Alagbole Ogun State today June 22,2010,as the rain fell the walls of this building and flooded the compound.

PHOTO ESSAY ON THE FLOOD AT OLUWAKEMI OGUN-STATE NIGERIA

 Oluwakemi situated at Ifo local government area of Ogun-State Nigeria was flooded by water on the 4th of October 2010.Residents blamed it on lack of good drainage system and a good dump site  which should have been provided by the State governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel.The indiscriminate way at which people dispose their refuse and bad drainage system is believed by the residents of Oluwakemi to have caused the flood which caused traffic for motorists,motorcyclists and even passersby.Photo above shows the photograph of the dumpsite that is believed is one of the reasons of the flood because it is preventing the flow of water.

                      Stranded people thinking of how to get to the other side of the road.

    People been carried for fifty Naira about (thirty five U.S.cents )to the other side of the road.

                                 A motor bike rider taking the risk of riding in the flood.

 A motor bike rider been helped by one of the area boys after taking the risk of riding in the flood but the engine switched off.

                                            Another motor bike rider riding in the flood.

 A bus commuter took the risk of driving in the flood but the engine switched off and refused to start.These area boys helped him push the vehicle to the other side of the road and collected some money.

 Bike rider,human carrier who collects fifty Naira as his fee and a man who too the risk of entering the flood without the human carriers.

                          People who could not afford the fifty naira fee walking in the flood.

                                                   People walking in the flood.

 Human carriers who used the flood opportunity to make some money for themselves by collecting a sum of fifty Naira for any person they carry and people who are walking in the flood without any assistance.

                                                              A vehicle in the flood

 People loaded themselves in a pick-up van so as to be able to cross to the other side of the road,while others walked in the flood.

An area view of the scene of the flood at Oluwakemi situated in Ifo Local government area of Ogun-State, South West of Nigeria, governed by Otunba Gbenga Daniel who residents and passersby blamed flood on for not providing a good drainage system and refuse dumpsite.