Residents count losses aftermath flood in Ekiti

The past week was a most horrendous one for many residents of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital as many streets as well as other communities in the state were ravaged by flood following a downpour which began on Tuesday night.

The torrential rainfall started around 8 p.m. on Tuesday and continued intermittently throughout the night till about 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the Ureje area, along the Federal Polytechnic road and other adjoining communities like Boom Town, Eminrin and Ijelu village fondly called “Aba Oyinbo” by commuters were all affected by the flood.

A source said the flood also surged into a church and about five houses located within the vicinity of Ureje bridge.

A resident of the area, Mr Idowu Adaramoye, noted that the bridge on Ado-Ijan-Ikare road, which also linked the capital city to the Federal Polytechnic area, was overrun by flood around 1 a.m. and lasted till 6 a.m.

He said commuters traveling along that route between the six hours which the downpour lasted had to park their vehicles at nearby filling stations and waited until the flood subsided.

“Nobody could cross that bridge to the polytechnic or go into Ado-Ekiti. Many residents had to wake up to catch a glimpse of the ravaging, fast moving water,” he said

Also, residents of Boom Town, Eminrin, had to stay indoors till around noon before they could cross the already overflooded Ureje stream that devastated their environment. The chairman of the community, Mr. Yemi Oladimeji, appealed to government to dredge the stream to lower the water to prevent recurrence of flooding in the area.

According to him, “this Ureje stream was dredged about three years ago, but the job was not well done and the effect is what we are feeling today. About four houses could have been destroyed but for communal efforts made to ensure that we strengthened the same inner Ureje Bridge which links us with Oke Ila region. There is need for government to do a more thorough job to reduce the water level.”

In Ikere-Ekiti, residents also felt a dose of the devastation as the flood rendered many homeless while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

A resident who identified himself as Sola Olaoye while speaking to Nigerian Tribune said, “As you can see now, all my belongings have been destroyed as a result of this flood. This is my area and you can see the effect of this flood. We have to get more people from the neighborhood to help us move some of our belongings out. Since morning, we have been trying to remove the water in this house.  I can only call on government to assist us in this difficult period because we even heard that we are going to have more rain in September and of course this will lead to more flood.”

Speaking to Nigerian Tribune in an interview, the state Commissioner for Environment, Olugbenga Agbeyo said that the government was doing everything possible to address the situation. While revealing that the Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi had approached the World Bank for financial grants, Agbeyo noted that about 234 locations had been identified across the state.

“When we got the report [of the flood], we decided to move around to see things, not only in Ado Ekiti, but other places because we identified 234 locations. We discovered there must be urgent attention. We will need about N29 billion to address this situation and Governor Fayemi has approached the World Bank for assistance.  I want to inform our people that government is not sleeping on this issue of flood and very soon we will get over it in Ekiti,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Fayemi has disclosed that his administration had commenced dredging of major water channels in the state in a bid to prevent perennial flooding.

Governor Fayemi disclosed this in a chat with journalists shortly after inspecting flooded areas in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Ikere-Ekiti Eporo and Ogbese.

Dr Fayemi who empathised with the victims of the flooding which overran some bridges, homes and farm lands promised government’s support for the victims, adding that his government would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that perennial flooding was completely  curbed in the state. He assured that government would provide succor for those who were rendered homeless by the flood. While warning citizens against indiscriminate disposal of waste in the drains, the governor urged them to imbibe the maintenance culture and desist from acts capable of endangering the environment. He added that anyone caught disposing waste in the drains would face the wrath of the law.

Fayemi stated that government had cleaned up blocked drains in virtually all parts of Ado Ekiti, so as to give room for free flow of water and forestall flooding, but lamented that some citizens had not stopped dropping refuse in the drains.

“This government prioritises the welfare of citizens. We cannot fold our arms and watch people lose lives and property to flood. This was why we embarked on the de-silting of blocked drains and the dredging of blocked waterways. For us as a government, we are committed to a safe environment. Just a few days ago, I got a call that the Ureje bridge along Poly road in Ado was affected by a heavy rain that fell on Tuesday, and as a responsive government, I directed the commissioner for environment to see what could be done to address the menace.

“While we have filled up the areas eaten up by erosion with heavy stones to prevent the Ureje bridge from caving in, we are also considering some lasting solutions. But our people too have critical roles to play in ensuring that we have a safe environment. It is unacceptable to dump refuse in the drains. Once the drains are blocked, flooding is certain to happen. Whoever is caught dumping refuse in the drains will face the wrath of the law,” he said.

The governor who interfaced with members of  the Ogbese community said the flood was not unconnected with the lackadaisical attitude of the contractor handling the construction of Ogbese dam. Governor Fayemi immediately went to the dam and summoned the contractor to his office on how to control water from the dam and preventing it from causing needless flood.