Residents of some communities in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, have sought the state government’s intervention to address the flooding rocking their areas.
Source gathered the rain-induced flood on Sunday that rocked Onikainkain in Moniya, Aroro Makinde, and Olodo areas, among others wreaked havoc in the respective communities.
A resident in Moniya, Akinyele Local Government Area of the state, Usman Busari, told our source on Monday that residents were stranded after the flood took over a bridge in their area on Sunday evening after the downpour.
Videos obtained by our correspondent showed motorcyclists, pedestrians and motorists waiting for the flood to subside, while other persons managed to wade through it.
“People were afraid to return to their homes. An okada rider also fell into the flood but he was lucky to have been rescued.
“The bridge they constructed for us in 2022 is too small to contain the flood that passes through our area,” Busari said.
The Chairman of the Ifesowapo Landlords Association in the area, Bello Rafiu, said the drainage for water was not long enough and it needed to be extended.
“What we need is a bigger bridge, ” he said.
On his part, Morenikeji David said a fence collapsed in his neighbourhood at Moniya.
“The bridge was affected by the flood. A fence also collapsed. The gutter is not well-channelled. The road is also damaged. The government should assist us in channelling the water to a better location. The water spreads to houses in the community. They should do something for us,” David said.
In the Aroro Makinde area, residents were seen wading through a turbulent water flow as they held one another.
“Makinde, we are staying in an area that bears your name, please come to our aid,” one of the residents said in the video, calling on Governor Seyi Makinde to come to their aid.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Chairman, Akinyele Local Government Area, Taoreed Adedigba, proved abortive as his line was busy.
However, our correspondent gathered that he is currently under suspension placed on him by the state House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Chief Operating Officer of Crest FM, Adeolu Gboyega, who spoke with our correspondent on Monday about the situation of the Olodo area that was also flooded, said policemen and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps were at the scene on Monday to ensure an easy flow of traffic.
Gboyega who said their radio station was close to the flooded area said, “From all we noticed, the bridge has given way. We need the intervention of the government to fix it as fast as possible. The only passable road now is just a very small route. It will take one car to wait for another car to move in.”
Pictures and videos from the Olodo area showed residents stranded on either side of the roads.
Contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said the government would be taking immediate action to assist the people in the areas affected by the flood, including making palliatives available.
He said, “The governor this morning deployed some teams comprising people from the Ministry of Works, Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project, State Emergency Management Agency, to the affected areas. They were at Olodo and Akinyele. At Olodo, that collapsed bridge is on a federal road but the government has taken it upon itself to fix it. We went around to look for alternative routes so it can be easy for people to commute. The government has also instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make palliatives available for affected people.”
