Rain wreaks havoc in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo *Hundreds of houses affected

Written by Olalekan Olabulo, Muda Oyeniran, Sylvester Okoruwa, Soji Ajibola, Olayinka Olukoya, Adebayo Waheed and Kate Ani
Friday, June 29, 2012

HUNDREDS of houses were flooded in parts of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states as a result of a persistent downpour which began around 4.00 p.m. on Wednesday and lasted all through the night.



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Many residents of some communities in Lagos and Ogun, including Oshodi, Ijaye, Agege, Ikeja, Obalende, Sango-Ota, Ijoko, Owode, Ifo and Singer were thrown into confusion and panic as the heavy rain ravaged many homes and business premises.

Millions of naira worth of properties were destroyed in the flood, while parents stopped their children from going to school as a result of the heavy flood.

The Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway also got broken into two, forcing motorists, who were coming to Lagos to drive against the traffic, resulting in serious traffic.

Workers, who had defied the flood and wanted to resume at their places of work on Thursday morning were forced to trek long distances, as a result of non-availability of vehicles.

Transport fares also hit the roof top as drivers of the few available buses took advantage of the situation to increase their fares.

Residents of Ijaiye, Kola Caso and Alakuko areas of Agbado woke up on Thursday to discover that their areas had been completely taken over by water.

Movement of vehicles and people at Caso and Adura Bus Stop on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway was at a standstill for more than two hours on both sides of the road.

Many houses in Agege, Ladipo, Sogunle, Meiran, Ijaoye and Ahmadiya were submerged in the flood with properties worth millions of naira destroyed.

In Sango-Ota, communities like Alli Isiba, Joju, Okede Akinbo, Oju Ore, Ilogo Road, NASFAT and Ewupe were completely flooded, forcing residents to scoop water from their homes.

Home electronics and other appliances were lost in the flood as many homes were submerged in the flooded communities with residents climbing on their windows and soaked furniture.

As early as 3.00 a.m., Mama Favour, a resident at Reverend Sodiya Way, raised the alarm, calling on residents to help her rescue the aged people in her flooded residence.

The woman lost thousands of naira worth of goods as her two shops were completely filled with water while her electrical and electronic appliances were floating on the water.

The situation was similar at the popular Alli Isiba Street, where the only major canal in the whole of Sango-Ota passes through.

The drainage system was by Thursday afternoon still overfilled and running heavily, thereby spilling water on the busy road and preventing motorists and residents from using the road.

Areas affected included Jimoh Yussuf, Emmanuel Aina, Ishola, Alabede, Akinola and Fatai streets in the remote of Aboru.

Residents of the affected areas watched helplessly as flood rolled away their property, while civil servants reported late for works.

Lamenting over the losses, Pa Salimonu Tiamiyu, a resident of Fatai Street, disclosed that about 20 house was submerged by the flood.

In a related development, residents of Glory Community Association, Isheri Olofin in Egbe Idimu Local Council Development Authority, have called on the government to come to their aid, disclosing that flooding, as being experienced in the area, started seven years ago.

Blaming it on the construction of LASU-Iba road, the residents called for the construction of drainage in the affected areas.

Residents of Arowojobe Estate in Mende, Maryland area of Lagos State, were trapped, due to the downpour which resulted in a massive flood in the area.

The chairman of the Kosofe Local Government Area of the state, Mr Afolabi Sofola, appealed to the state government to come to the aid of the community, as the fund to construct the canal was enormous for his council to bear alone.

Train passengers escape death

Meanwhile, no fewer than 300 passengers of a Lagos-bound train escaped death on Thursday morning, as the train skidded of its track and rammed into a truck at Odo-Eran Sabo area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The near tragedy was as a result of the downpour, which submerged the rail line on Wednesday evening.

Passengers of the 12-coach train could not alight as the train could not taxi at the Lafenwa station, as the flood had swept away the sand underneath the track.

When the Nigerian Tribune visited the scene, passengers were seen loitering the station area, waiting to recover their goods and luggage.

An official of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) at the Lafenwa station told the Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity that the principal traffic officer of the corporation at the station had advised the management against allowing the train to cross the bridge, in order to avert a major accident.

Rain wreaks havoc in Oyo

No fewer than 500 people were, on Thursday, rendered homeless in Oyo town, following an early hour rain.

Also, three bridges located in different parts of the town were washed away by the flood, while goods worth millions of naira destroyed.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that rain started around 5.30 a.m and lasted for five hours, during which it had caused havoc to the Oyo town.

A mosque and a bridge in Sanda area of the town was said to have collapsed during the rain, while a motorcyclist who missed his way and ran into the flood sustained injuries.

Nigerian Tribune went round the town, especially the affected areas and it was discovered that no fewer than 100 houses were flooded in the town.

The affected residents were said to have taken refuge at upper area of the town, but only returned on Thursday morning to see that their properties had been affected by the flood.

It was also learnt that the flood destroyed fish ponds in the town, as the owners were seen in search of the fishes.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, had paid visit to the affected areas.

Fear as flood ravages Odo-Ona Apata road

The bridge on the Odo-Ona Apata road area of Ibadan was overflooded with water.

According to an eyewitness, "by 7.00 a.m on Thursday, nobody could come out of their houses, as the whole area was overflooded.

The incident prompted the caretaker chairman of Oluyole Local Government Council, Mr Ayodeji Abass Aleshinloye and the state Commissioner for Environment, Mr Dauda Wasiu, to rush to the area to examine the magnitude of the disaster.

Aleshinloye, however, advised the residents, especially those with houses near the river and whose houses had been marked for demolition, to adhere to the warnings and see reasons why they had to relocate from the river banks and channels.

Residents of Joju also had their share of the harrowing experience as the busy road was also flooded and many houses submerged in the flood.

The Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway was also completely flooded as salon car owners were forced to abandon their vehicles, following the flood on the road.

Residents of Owode and Ijako also had a terrible experience of the Wednesday/Thursday rain session as the major road in the areas was broken into two as a result of the flood.

Residents of Aboru community in Agbado Oke-Odo Local Government were also affected, as flood reportedly submerged no fewer than 50 buildings in the area, resulting in the loss of property worth millions of naira.