Rain downpour sacks oyo towns

IT was again a weekend of sorrow in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, as a downpour, which started late on Saturday evening, sacked some communities.

But unlike the August 26, 2011 flood disaster where about 300 persons were killed and property worth millions of naira destroyed, only bridges and property were washed away.

Residents of Apete and Odo-Ona who were the worst hit in last year’s flood disaster had hurriedly vacated their homes on Saturday night when the rain did not subside after about six hours for fear of being drowned.

The rain, which started at about 9.00 p.m. in some parts of the city on Saturday, lasted for about seven hours, overflowing many bridges, including Odo-Ona Elewe, flowing into many houses, destroying the makeshift pedestrian bridge at Apete, thereby cutting-off the over one million residents of the area.

Similarly, residents of Amuloko in Ona Ara Local Council could not get to their houses as some of the bridges linking the community were overflown by water.

Some residents of Odo-Ona Elewe who spoke on the development wondered why the state government could not do something concrete about the bridge in the area since the last year tragic flood disaster.

They lamented that the main bridge under which the river flows was too low and the depth of the river shallow.

“Though the administration of Senator Abiola Ajimobi widened the banks of the river recently, it needed real dredging to make it deep so that the volume of water passing through it could have better passage without easily overflowing the bridge and disrupting traffic flow, as well as flooding houses.”

The story was the same in Apete area as the makeshift pedestrian bridge which was constructed last year after the flood washed away the main bridge was washed away, cutting off residents from the rest of the city.

Apete community is mostly inhabited by Polytechnic students and their lecturers as well as those of the University of Ibadan (UI).

One of the residents, who lamented the incident, said: “With the situation of things as I am talking to you, many residents of this community will have to stay at home tomorrow (today). The pedestrian bridge we are managing has collapsed. There is no way we can move out through it. The other road linking Ajibode is so bad that it is not motorable. The one to Akufo is also bad with series of potholes created by rain since it was graded.

“The Polytechnic students and members of staff are now in dilemma. Students of Lifeforte School here are starting examination tomorrow (today), and so many of them will have to miss it or the exams postponed. People here are particularly not happy with the way the contractor, “KBB International”, is handling the bridge. Students are complaining that the contractor is not competent. He was a bread-maker. They are threatening a protest if the government would not address the situation on time. N50 fare for transportation from Apete to Sango now attracts N500. This is becoming unbearable”.

Meanwhile, in their reactions, the Special Adviser to Governor Ajimobi on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, and the South-West Local Government Caretaker Chairman, Abass Aleshinloye, blamed those who build structures on waterways and thereby obstruct free passage of water, noting that “rain is a natural phenomenon that cannot be prevented”.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92453:rain-sacks-oyo-towns&catid=1:national&Itemid=559