₦airaland Forum

For the second time in less than a year, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State witnessed a disastrous flood. Many parts of the city were affected by the flood which caused extensive damage. Incidentally, most of the parts that were affected by the August 26, 2011 flood also bore the brunt of the latest flood.

After the rains that spanned from Friday night till the early hours of Saturday, the bridges that were repaired in Oluyole Estate were flooded again with the waters washing away almost a quarter of the road. The bridge on the way to Rhema Chapel was rendered impassable by 7 am on Sunday morning. Incidentally, some of those living in the area confirmed to Street Journal that as at 5 am, vehicles and motorcycles were still passing. The water however rose above the bridge all of a sudden. The situation was the same at the Seven Up area of Oluyole Estate where the water level rose tremendously forcing many people to stay indoors. The waters also rose as much as the lintel levels of some houses.

The Apete bridge that was fixed after last year’s flood has also been washed away again. Damages have also been recorded in areas like Ogbere, Opere, Ajobo Arulogun where the road was cut into two and many other parts of town. In Oke Ayo, the bridge that links the area has was totally submerged, same for some houses in the area.

Street Journal’s investigations revealed that many of the houses that were marked for demolition for obstructing the flow of water are still standing; with some of them even being reconstructed. Some residents who spoke to Street Journal in Oluyole Estate pointed out that for those houses to have remained standing despite the Government’s resolve to demolish them last year, some bribes might have changed hands, especially in view of the fact that compensation was paid to some of the affected people.

Some people have also opined that the State Government’s attitude to the situation could is also a contributory factor. For instance, the houses that should have been demolished are still standing, thus obstructing free flow of water. It was also observed that the Government chose to delay most of the construction works it is carrying out, thereby allowing the rainy season to start with the works still ongoing.

The widow of Yasir Arafat, the father figure of Palestinian nationalism who mysteriously died more than seven years ago, said she would seek permission to exhume his remains for an inquest, after a report by Al Jazeera that said he might have been poisoned with polonium, a rare radioactive isotope. The report, which contradicted Mr. Arafat’s medical records, resurrected conspiracy theories on Twitter that he had been killed by agents of Israel or by Palestinian rivals. Al Jazeera said its report was based on traces of polonium found on his underwear and other belongings given by his widow, Suha, to the Institute of Radiation Physics at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Mr. Arafat, left, fell ill in October 2004 and died at a hospital in France on Nov. 11 of unannounced causes. He was 75. An inconclusive Palestinian inquiry in 2005 ruled out cancer, AIDS or poisoning. His medical records, obtained by The New York Times that year, showed that he had died of a stroke that resulted from a bleeding disorder caused by a mysterious infection.