Joseph EMERIBE
Goods and properties worth millions of naira have reportedly been washed away by the flood which is an aftermath of the rainfall that started around 10pm on Thursday night through the early hours of Friday 30th of September, 2022.
The rainfall, which lasted hours, flooded farm lands, residential buildings and caused damage to a section of the bridge at Irepodun Community, Idi Igba Were Area close to Harmony Estate, akerebiata sobi road in Ilorin, the kwara state capital.
Frustrated fish farmers in the area and residents who have continued to post photos and videos on social media showing houses overrun by floods appealed to the government to come to their aid.
“see for that side my rice, fish pond and pigs all of them don die. The thing wey I lose for di water pass 2 million naira” was the sorrowful reaction of one Madam Abigail who spoke in pidgin. The flood completely washed her farm away.
Alhaja Taibat Eleja Odo, a popular farmer in the area in her reaction in Yoruba language said this year’s flood is terrible after many years. “I lost my fish farm but the loss can’t be compared to a fellow farmer in the area that lost more than ten million naira to the floods”
Mohammed Balikis a resident in the area who moved into the area less than four months ago with her family after completion of their palatial house recounts in tears their loss.
“My daughter fainted and got revived by God’s mercies. We escaped through the ceiling in fact all our electrical appliances are gone including foodstuffs and my husband is not in town as he his away from the state as a government worker. Please come to our aid”
According to the Chairman of Kwara State Technical Committee (STC) of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Engr. Bashir Lawal; the failure on the bridge “is an Abutment Underscoring due to Seepage between the Abutment and the Retaining Walls” and not a collapse.
“What we have here is not bridge collapse” he added.
Engr. Lawal also called on relevant Government Agencies to as a matter of urgency stop vehicles and motorcycles from plying the bridge immediately.
Meanwhile, Principal Search and Rescue Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Minna Office- Shamsudeen Aliru, who was on the spot assessment of the level of damage, assured victims that the federal government are aware of the situation as reports has been sent for palliatives and relieve materials to be sent across to savage the impact of the flood.
“Presently we are at Ilorin East to assess the level of damage; we are writing our report and assistance will definitely get to them” Shamsudeen said.
The secretary of Irepodun Community, in Idi Igba Were Area, Harmony Estate Mr. Muhammed Taofeeq- a community worse hit by the flood, said since his close to ten years in the community the recent flood is the worst ever recorded blaming the government for abandoning the drainage project meant to serve the area.
“The damage is millions of naira, in order to curb this we have two major areas that government have to look into- the abandoned drainage have to be linked to the bridge same with the one at the back here. I also want them to extend the federal government drainage project at Unity to the community” the secretary hinted.
Meanwhile, Kwara State Government has sympathized with the residents in the state capital whose houses were flooded as a result of the unusual downpour. With the government specifically sympathizing with residents of Pakata area in Ilorin West local government where a mud house caved-in killing a woman in the process.
At the moment, most residents in the area(s) have nowhere to lay their heads as they are still counting their losses with where used to be their homes turning into a shadow of itself and a fright to behold.
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