FLOOD: One Dead, Others Missing, Properties Destroyed In Ogun

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One Person has been reported dead while an unknown number of persons were missing in the heavy downpour that hit major parts of Lagos and Ogun States on Tuesday.

PLATFORM TIMES also gathered that property which is yet to be quantified has been lost while some residents sustained injuries in Sagamu area of Ogun State.

This is coming barely twenty-four hours after residents, landlords and traders around the Ilo-Awela Canal, Ajegunle-Toll Gate Sango area that borders Lagos and Ogun States cried out over perennial flooding that had led to deaths and destruction of buildings in the area.

Earlier in March, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Ahmed, has issued a warning of upcoming severe flooding this year as indicated by predictions from relevant agencies.

In the same vein, the Director-General of Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Clement Nze, disclosed that 178 LGAs in 32 states and the FCT had been predicted to experience severe flooding in 2023.

Ogun is among the state which the level of flood impact between April and November 2023 is expected to be high in terms of impact on the population, livelihood, infrastructure and environment.

Despite the warning in March, there is no record of the Ogun State government’s preparedness for the flood.

In 2022, no fewer than 4,885 households were affected by flooding were given relief materials by the National Emergency Management Agency.

Residents and families in the state still hold memories of the 2018 flood that led to loss of lives, property and even dragged vehicles into the Ogun river.

Sagamu is one of the local governments identified by the state government as places residents should move away from temporarily in 2020.

Our reporter gathered that heavy flooding was experienced in Ajaka, Express Junction, Ogunyanwo, Olayinka, Isale Ojumele area of Sagamu Ogun State on Tuesday evening.

Unconfirmed reports have it that the deceased, a student of Agbele Community High School judging by the uniform he had on, got dragged away and drowned in the flood.

Eyewitnesses said that the deceased was fell off a bike being dragged away by the erosion.

It was further gathered that many properties, valuable goods got destroyed in the Makun area of Sagamu local where torrent wrecked havoc.

Residents of the area lamented that valuable goods and properties are always lost anytime it rains due to small drainage system in the area.

They said the community can’t withstand the impacts of the erosion which is usually highly enormous.

Some bikes were said to have been swept by the torrent, while many valuable goods and properties were also lost due to the heavy downpour.

Also, some people who were swept away by the flooding were said to have sustained different degrees of injuries.

Reacting to Thursday’s downpour, a resident told PLATFORMTIMES that houses were destroyed rendering people homeless from last year’s heavy downpour.

He said, “We had something like this last year and it was more terrible, we cried out to the government but no help. We don’t have good drainage system in this axis. The water has nowhere to pass but to start flooding our houses. We thought the information from last year will help them plan well for this year but here we are today, a boy lost his life, we don’t know how many okada or property we will have to look for.”

Residents of the area berated the state government which had done nothing to provide succour for the affected communities and individuals.

All efforts to reach out to security age ncies to confirm the incident and assessment of the situation proved abortive as at the time of filling this report.

Meanwhile, the residents have sent out a distress call to the state Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba Dr Babatunde Adewale Ajayi and the Ewusi of Makun, Oba Timothy Oyesola Akinsanya to come to their aide.

They also sent appeals to the Ogun East Senator-elect, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, lawmaker representing Remo-Sagamu federal constituency Hon. Dewunmi Onanuga Ijaya, Hon. Sapele, Ogbeni Afolabi Odulate AFO amongst others.