For residents of Oluwakemi, Olasepe, Denro, Ishasi, Akute
in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, it is faster to move from one
point to the other in a canoe than in a car.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the residents seemed to have
given up hope on the reconstruction of a flood-ravaged road that links them to
the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos.
The condition of the road was said to have been worsened by
the blocked drains in the area which could not contain the erosion resulting
from perennial rainfall and discharge from an Ogun dam.
PUNCH Metro learnt that passersby had to take their
times wading through the flooded portion of the road while children could not
go to school.
In a visit to the communities around 9am on Monday, our
correspondent sighted a bus and a van submerged in the water. Workers and
students, who could not dare the volume of the surge, boarded canoes while
others were strapped on the back for a fee of N100 by some men in the area. A woman
fell inside the water while wading through it but was fortunate to regain
control.
Mechanics were also on the ground to help motorists filter
water from their car engines. Business activities in the area were paralysed as
most shops were closed.
The Baale of Olasepe Community, Mr. Wasiu Abegunde, said
the flood would have been averted if there were good drains in the communities,
adding that residents contributed money to do some repairs on the road.
“The drainage system here is bad. My house is surrounded by
water. If we have enough drains, the volume of water will be reduced. Most
children cannot go to school and workers are late for their offices. Recently,
we contributed N1.5m to sand-fill the road,” he said.
The Chairman, Akute Community Development Community, Alhaji
Mubaraq Sanni, told our correspondent that the government had neglected the
area and appealed to Governor Ibikunke Amosun to find a lasting solution to
their plights.
He said, “In 2011, the state government promised to
construct another bridge to replace the one that has been flooded. We have been
lamenting the poor state of the road but at least, we are still managing it.
“But now, it is beyond managing. Let the government come to
our aid and do it properly. That is part of the dividend of democracy we are
expecting. We are suffering. Government presence here is nothing to write home
about. We are appealing to the governor; things are becoming unbearable.”
In his account, Alhaji Muftaudeen Shuaib, who lives in
Ishasi, said the road had forced some people to relocate.
“We are fed up. It has been like this for the past nine
years. The flood is yearly. We are suffering a lot. Some people have moved out
of this area because they could not endure the stress again,” he said.
A resident of Oluwakemi, who identified himself simply as
Wolly, said the wheels of his car had been affected by the potholes. He added
that he had stopped bringing his car to the house to avoid further damage.
Our correspondent saw some passengers grumbling in
discontent as they staggered along the potholes on the road.
A passenger, who alighted from a commercial bus, told PUNCH
Metro that transporters capitalised on the slippery road to charge them
extra fare.
“On a good day, from Berger to Akute is N100. But now that
the road is worse coupled with the flooded portion, the fare has been increased
to between N150 and N200,” she said.
When contacted, the Ogun State Commissioner for Works, Mr.
Lekan Adegbite, said the government would start working on the road soon.
He said, “We are aware of the flood. There are many
problems this government is facing and we cannot fix them in a day. Three years
in the office is not enough to fix all the problems. We had done a palliative
measure in the area but had been washed away by heavy rainfall. As soon as the
rain stops, we will find a permanent solution to the road.”
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