IT was a tale of woes for residents of Olodo, Erunmu, Iyana Offa in Lagelu and Egbeda local government areas of Oyo State, after the Sunday’s downpour that left in its trail, anguish, pains and sorrow for the communities.
Motorists plying the Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo road were stuck on the road, while commuters, including residents of the communities kept vigit at the bridge until the water level subsided, allowing for passage.
Christian faithful who had left their various homes for Sunday service found the state of the road shocking while returning, as it had become impassable.
Parents had to tie their grown-up children to their cloths to secure them as they waded through the flooded river.
One 18-seater Toyota Hiace inter-state commercial bus was caught in the middle of the flood, though passengers were lucky as help came on time for their rescue. In the time past, the river had claimed lives of residents and commuters.
Some of the houses on the river bank also suffered as a result of the flood as residents lost valuables. Many of those who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune lamented that their means of livelihood had been affected.
The situation will also affect commerce in the area as traders will have to pay exorbitant fees to commute their wares to neighbouring markets, including the weekly markets of Olodo, Erunmu and Odo-Oba.
The collapsed bridge had been in a state of disrepair, though the contract for its rehabilitation had been awarded by the government seven months ago.
The residents lamented that a contract of such magnitude should have been awarded to a reputable and qualified firm.
One of the affected residents, who identified himself as John Ajayi-Oba, appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to re-award the contract to a competent contractor with vast experience in civil engineering.
Mrs Mariam Ajao, in her submission, called for the intervention of Governor Makinde, adding that there is no alternative road to link the communities in the area.
Olufemi Oluwaseun said, “I am a resident of this area. This is a sad incident. The road linking Monatan, Galilee and Olodo has become impassable. The rain has swept off the bridge under construction. The quality of the work being done here is appalling. The contract is awarded to quacks with little or no experience of civil engineering.
“Imagine a contractor using 4mm and 8mm iron rods for the construction of a bridge of this magnitude. This is not done anywhere in the world. I will blame the government and the contractor. If the contractor had been supervised well, we wouldn’t have found ourselves in this mess.”
Mrs Rukayat Atanda called on the government to cordon off the area for the safety of the people.
“The government should cordon off the entire area. The remaining part of the dilapidated bridge should be pulled down,” she stated.
Chairman of Egbeda Local Government Area of the state, Sanda Sikiru Oyedele, narrowly escaped attack by the mob when he visited the scene of the incident.
The crowd had surged forward to attack him as he was accused of being insensitive to the plight of the people in the area.
Speaking at the scene, he expressed shock over the untoward attitude of the people, as he submitted that he shared in their pains.
He said, “I am not happy with the present situation. People have been stranded since yesterday. They couldn’t get to their various destinations. The students are there like the commuters as they were all stranded. It is a very sad situation.
“I want to appeal to the community that they should be patient and be calm because Governor Makinde is going to look into it. We are going to look for an alternative route.”
Government representatives, including officials of the Ministry of Works and State Emergency Management Authority (SEMA) were sighted at the scene of the incident.
Though they turned down request of newsmen present, it was gathered that they are working on the alternative route for residents and motorists.
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