Though the flood that ravaged some parts of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, in the early hours of Tuesday has come and gone, it has left hollowness in the lives of some families. While some residents are thankful to God that it did not leave on its trail deaths like the one of August 26, 2011, the victims don’t actually know whether to be joyful for not dying in the furious flood. Apart from the fact that some of the victims are homeless, their future is uncertain. Many of them claimed that unless urgent help comes their way, they may have to face hard times from hunger, poverty and unclothedness. As of the time of filing this story, some of them were counting their losses. When Sunday Vanguard went to speak with residents on the disaster, it was found that, in Wofun area of Ibadan, the flood delayed students of Ark of God International School, Lasting Glory and some public schools in that part of the metropolis from starting their National Examination Council, NECO, and Junior WAEC. The proprietress of the Ark of God, Mrs Abiola Bayonle, said the flood delayed students in the area for several hours. She narrated, “At Adeyipo area, there is an extension of road going on. So, it was the road extension work that did not allow free passage of water and this resulted in flooding. That day, the students had NECO and Junior WAEC examinations. The students were to write English Language. The Junior WAEC was to start at 9am while the NECO exam was scheduled for 10am. “At 8:30am, my students called to inform me that they could not cross the river. As time ticked very close to their examination time, they started crying. There were about 30 of them. After they had stayed there for about two hours, the flood subsided but still nobody could enter it. I too had to risk it. There were trucks crossing the river when the force had reduced. Some people hanged to the trucks to cross the river.” “But for the students, we had to hire elderly people to put them on their back like babies to cross the overflowed river”. Miss Abimbola Ajayi, one of the affected JSS students, said, “I was very afraid when we got to the overflowed river. It was so serious. No one could cross.. We and some students of Ark of God International School and other schools around waited impatiently for the flood to subside. We waited for about two hours. If we did not have a paper for that day, we would have gone back home. Some students who wanted to write NECO were also with us. It got to a point that some of us were crying because we knew the time of exam was already approaching and there was no certainty that the river would calm down. “Later, some adults were mounting us on their back to help us cross to the other side of the river. I wasn’t myself throughout the examination period. Since that day, anytime I see the cloud gathering, I am afraid”. At Olodo and Orogun areas, some churches were submerged. The wall of a Celestial Church of Christ at UI Second Gate, Orogun was pulled down by the flood. Gbekuba, Onipepeye, Bodija, Omi Adio, among other places in the state capital, were also affected.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/caught-ibadan-flood-horrors-saw-hell-live-direct-30-students-going-ssce/