Tony Okafor, Awka

Flood has rendered a 98-year-old man, Mr. Emmanuel Onyeleme; and no fewer than 200 others homeless in Ubaha Ezira community of Anambra State.

Narrating their ordeal to newsmen at Ezira, Orumba Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday, the nonagenarian said they now live like refugees in their hometown.

He said the type of flood that wreaked the havoc in their community after a downpour in the area on Monday was the first of its kind he had witnessed in his lifetime.

He blamed a certain contractor handling a road contract in the area for their doom.

He called on the state government and other concerned citizens to come to their aid.

He said, “We now live like refugees in our hometown. Government should take responsibility for this because they brought these contractors who are doing the shoddy job that led to this catastrophe.

“They should construct a proper drainage along this road so that subsequent rains would not submerge us completely. And they should pay us for these damages,” Onyeleme stated.

Also speaking, Ozoemena Ikwukeme from Ubaha Ezira, said the downpour began at about 5pm.

He said the rain destroyed his property, including his documents and those of his wife and kids.

He said he was yet to quantify the damages he had incurred from the flood which, according to him, included about 30 bags of rice he recently harvested from his farm.

“I am a large scale farmer as well as a staff in the Works Department of Orumba South Local Government and my documents are lost forever. All the certificates of my wife and my kids are lost. So are my efforts for the season. I am devastated.

“I want to ask Governor Willie Obiano whether he gave this road to be truly built or as a political strategy.”


A philanthropist, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, has called on the Anambra State Government to respond to the cry of the displaced persons of Ezira.

Ezeemo, who is a governorship aspirant in the forthcoming November 18 poll in the state, also advised the contractors working on the road, who the villagers accused of being responsible for the flood, to increase the specification of the drainage.

Source: http://punchng.com/contractor-diverts-flood-renders-98-year-old-man-200-others-homeless-in-anambra/

Cc: lalasticlala