Israel Adeleke & Adejoke Adebiyi
Residents residing in the Oke-lantoro area along the elite road in Abeokuta, Ogun State, find themselves in a precarious situation as their lives and properties are under imminent threat from a deluge of floodwaters that have submerged the Ifedayo community.
The dire scenario unfolded on Sunday, August 28th, following a heavy downpour that wreaked havoc on residents’ homes and jeopardized their safety.
A team from PLATFORM TIMES ventured into the community to assess the extent of the devastation caused by the flooding.
Olayemi Okusolubo, one of the affected residents, pinpointed the root cause of the calamity near the elite road bridge at Okelantoro.
Okusolubo attributed the issue to an imbalance between the capacity of the government-constructed gutters and that of the bridge itself.
“The main cause I can see that happens to the bridge is that since the state government, Prince Dapo Abiodun, helped us construct gutters, but it is a pity that the gutter the government channeled to the bridge is more than the power of the bridge,” he remarked.
Alhaja Adikatu Salami, a landlady whose property is in close proximity to the bridge, elaborated on the situation. She recalled that the bridge was originally a mere gutter before being transformed by the government. Regrettably, this alteration led to the current flooding predicament.
“The water that passed through the small gutter flowed easily, but after they converted the small gutter to a bigger one and built a bridge for it, that’s when everybody started having problems,” Salami explained. “In fact, the flood has reached the rooms downstairs, with water entering every corner of my house.”
Sister Tobatele, a shop owner near the bridge, echoed her struggle with the flood’s impact on her business. Her merchandise has been repeatedly swept away by the forceful flow of water during rainstorms. She lamented that the present design of the bridge and its passage cannot adequately accommodate the volume of water converging from various sources, resulting in chaos.
“I am here to clean the shop because of what the erosion caused yesterday. The water that passes through the narrow space of the bridge is excessive, and the passage on the bridge is not wide enough to allow the water to flow smoothly.
The water comes from Abiola way, Odo Eran, Obantoko, and other places. They meet at the bridge point but can’t pass through. The force makes it overflow, creating a mess everywhere,” Tobatele said.
Residents, including Pastor Mrs. Ugewunna Stella, a teacher, voiced their concerns. Stella also highlighted the disruptions caused by the flood, which sometimes prevent parents from sending their children to her for coaching lessons due to the damaged roads leading to her location.
In response to these challenges, the community residents urgently appeal to Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene.
They implore for an expansion of the bridge’s drainage system, aiming to facilitate smoother water flow during rainstorms and prevent further damage to their lives and properties.
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