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Gridlock On Lagos- Ibadan Expressway As Plants Overrun Ogun River by azetopworld(m): 6:34am On Jun 19, 2016
Residents, workers and passers-by on
Saturday besieged Kara along the Lagos-
Ibadan Expressway to view the sudden
appearance of plants which grew on a
section of the Ogun River.
A large number of people stormed the area
with their phones and recording devices,
while some went as far as walking over
the water plants and praying.
Though several eyewitnesses described the
occurrence as “strange and mysterious,”
geological experts told SUNDAY PUNCH
that the plants were simply rapidly growing
seaweed and that the incident was not
extraordinary.
Our correspondent, who visited the site on
Saturday, observed that a significant
expanse of the river had been carpeted by
a massive layer of the vegetation.
Scores of residents, including children,
were walking, playing and praying atop the
plant-covered river.
Michael Fagbenro, a panel beater with a
workshop located at the Kara riverbank,
said those in the area began to notice the
plants surface at about 8am on Friday.
He said, “It started gradually; the plants
were flowing with the river. But by 12pm,
the water began to flow forcefully and
brought a lot more plants. It accumulated
at a very rapid rate.
“By Friday afternoon, it had completely
covered the river. I have been here for over
five years and this has never happened. It
is obviously not normal. This is
unbelievable. When I saw it, I was afraid
because it is so strange.”
Asked if he had attempted taking a walk
on the seaweed, Fagbenro exclaimed
frighteningly, “Who, me? I don’t have the
courage to walk over it! I am not one of
those born here and I cannot swim. I am
even sure that when the plants leave, they
will take someone with them.”
Mrs. Christiana Monday-Egbu, a local
trader, similarly said she and other workers
at the site were fearful at the occurrence
on Friday.
The cassava processing business owner,
who set up shop by the river over a year
ago, said, “It was around 10am when the
water started gushing, carrying the plants
with the waves. It wasn’t even raining
when it started.
“People were startled when it started. It all
happened so fast. I have never witnessed
such a strange occurrence in my life.
Everyone rushed out to watch with
surprise.”
Another Kara-based trader of over three
years, Mrs. Love Itoro, said prior to the
strange development, canoes plied the
river, conveying passengers, mostly traders,
from one side to the other.
The food vendor explained that at the
climax of the incident, a canoe was caught
in the middle of the river with five
passengers who were meat sellers.
“When the plants started coming in large
amounts, it blocked the boat and almost
made it sink. The driver quickly came
down onto the plants to help the
passengers carry their meat. People from
the other side then threw a rope and pulled
the boat back to safety,” Itoro said.
Mrs. Ability Udoh, a trader at Kara for five
years, said the occurrence was not entirely
strange. According to her, occasionally, the
river would bring sea-based plants.
Udoh, however, admitted that she had
never witnessed it in such magnitude.
“We are happy that nobody died,” she said.
Two other traders, Mercy and Blessing of
Calabar extraction, said they were shocked
and afraid when the incident occurred.
Mercy said, “I too was so scared because I
have never seen something like this.”
Blessing added, “I saw someone lying
down on the plants on Friday; I was so
scared. I cannot believe how daring some
people are.”
In an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH on
Saturday, Dr. Folorunsho Adetayo of the
Department of Geosciences, University of
Lagos, identified the plants as seaweed.
According to the environmental
geoscientist, seaweed is a regenerative
product of algae.
Adetayo said, “The plants are not harmful.
People can come in contact with them
without being harmed. The rainy season
definitely contributes to it. I cannot say
that it is the first time this is happening.
“It could have happened in the past. During
certain periods of time, the algae
proliferate and are formed around the river
course.”
He also dismissed claims that the river had
dried up, noting that the algae had the
ability to reproduce and regenerate itself
at a rapid rate within hours.
He said, “No, the river cannot just dry up in
the rainy season for that matter. It is an
experience that is not restricted to Nigeria.
At least, personally, I have witnessed it in
Qingdao, China, two years ago.”
Adetayo however warned, “The
government, however, needs to remove the
plants because if allowed to stay long, it
can become toxic to plants and animals,
including human beings.”
A Professor of Applied Geophysics,
Department of Geosciences, UNILAG, Elijah
Ayolabi, in an electronic mail, also
explained that the occurrence was not
strange.
He said, “To the ordinary man, this may be
strange, but to those of us who have
conducted geophysical investigations and
geological mapping around that area, it is
not strange. However, I will like to see it
myself and provide scientific deductions of
the occurrence.” www.punchng.com/gridlock-lagos-ibadan-expressway-plants-overrun-ogun-river/

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