The Nation Newspaper

Tag: downpour

  • Downpour: Three communities cut off in Lagos

    Some communities in Ikorodu area of Lagos State have been cut off following early morning three-hour downpour which had rendered the road leading to the area impassable.

    Motorists plying the Agric-Isawo-Arepo Road had difficulty either coming out or going into the three communities of Isawo, Igbo Olomu and Arepo because of the flooded road.

    Commuters using tricyles and motorcycles were forced to disembark and wade through the water to board vehicles at the other end to get their destinations.

    Commercial motorcyclists and those who help commuters and residents to cross made brisk businesses.

    “If you are coming to Isawo in a commercial bus or motorcycle from Agric Bus Stop, they will drop you at Oke Afa junction, then you will have to take another bus or motorcycle to continue with the journey.

    “People pay between N100 and N150 for assistance to carry them on their back across the water especially pregnant women,’’ the Acting Baale of Isawo, Mr Bada Bakare, said.

    He, however, appealed to the Lagos State Government to construct a bridge at Oke Afa on the Agric-Isawo Road for easy passage.

    “Whenever it rains, commuters, motorists and residents find it difficult to ply the road because of flood.

    Bakare also appealed to the government to direct the contractor handling the road– Hitech Construction Company Ltd — to create a temporary bridge on the road.

    A resident, Mr Apini Olanrewaju,, also lamented the hardship com muters experience on the road, saying the fares have been increased by more than 100 per cent because of the condition of the road.

    “I spend not less than N750 as fares when it rains which used to cost N200.”

    In his reaction,  Chairman, Committee on Agric-Isawo Road Project, Alhaji Owolabi Adisa, urged the government to intervene without further delay.

    Adisa said the slow pace of work on the road was affecting socio-economic activities in the area and also causing security problems.

    “We appreciate the good work of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode in awarding the reconstruction of the road but there is need for a bridge on the road,” he also told NAN.

    Mr Adeola Alonge, the Secretary, Road Transport Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Agric-Owutu Branch, commended the state government for embarking on the rehabilitation of the road but called for its speedy completion alleviate the sufferings of the people.

    According to him, some of their members whose buses are old cannot put them on the road until the rainy season is over.

    Also, the Chairman, Tricycle Association of Nigeria, Owutu Isawo Unit, urged the government to prevail on the contractor to speed up work on the road.

  • Downpour causes gridlock on Abuja-Lokoja highway

    Downpour causes gridlock on Abuja-Lokoja highway

    Reminiscent of the hardship brought on motorists by the 2012 flooding, heavy overnight downpour across the Kogi State capital Thursday affected vehicular movement along the busy Abuja-Lokoja highway.

    The rains which lasted several hours led to flooding, and overflowing drainages in areas of the capital.

    Most affected by the logjam were motorists and travelers plying the major highway leading to the nation’s capital, with the near-no movement witnessed from the Jamata Bridge and Nataco sections of the Murtala Mohammed Road.

    It spilled into inner areas of Lokoja, as drivers sourced alternative routes away from the long strech, going as far as Felele, along the Okene section of the inter-states highway.

    Some motorists who spoke with The Nation, expressed dismay over the situation, even as they meandered their way around it.

    Some houses close to the river side were not spared, with the increasing water level of the River Niger encroaching on them.

    As at the time of filing this report, Governor Yahaya Bello was billed to make an on the spot visit to the affected area.

  • School, residents count losses after downpour

    School, residents count losses after downpour

    FOUR days after Monday’s downpour in some parts of Lagos, a school in Surulere, is yet to recover from its impact.

    The roof of the Science Block of Ansar-Ud-Deen Grammar School was blown off.

    Lectures ended abruptly as pupils ran out of the block comprising the Library, Physics, Biology and Chemistry Laboratories.

    The Principal, Habeeb Badru told The Nation that the school would not forget the day.

    He said he was in his office around 11am when the rain started, adding: “The students were in the Dining Hall around 11:30am when the storm began with a lot of wind. We were scared because we thought the wind would remove the Layeni Hall roof but, unfortunately the Science Block was affected. The roof of the Science Block was removed, leaving the library and the Chemistry Laboratories majorly affected.”

    He said a newly constructed dining hall, the kitchen and the school fence were also affected.

    Pupils in the science laboratory, Badru said, could not continue with their lectures; those in the library could also no longer read because their books were soaked.

    He said the Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, has visited the school, to assess the damage.

    Badru said it would cost about N2.6million to roof the block. The school will require N1million to fix the new dining hall.

    “So we are talking about N5 million including the fence and some other things,” he said.

    Alhaji Okunnu said the rain destroryed some of the school’s properties, promising a speedy reconstruction of the laboratories’ roof and the wall.

    “This is a natural disaster. You cannot prevent this from happening because it is beyond human beings. But as management of the school, ours is to ensure the protection of the pupils by fixing the damaged structure as soon as possible. That we are poised to do without delay,” he said.

    Part of the roof of House 2 Alfa Nda Street, Ilasamaja, was blown off by the rainstorm.

    A tenant said he was sleeping when the rain started.

    “I was sleeping when I noticed water dropping into my room; I looked round and discovered that the roof of my room has been removed. Virtually everything in my room was soaked, including my mattress,” he said.

    He said the landlord had planned to renovate the house before the rainy season, describing the incident as unfortunate.

    An eyewitness said the collapsed roof fell into another compound.

  • Osogbo streets flooded after downpour

    AFTER about four hours down pour, some parts of Osogbo, the Osun State capital, were yesterday  flooded.

    The affected areas are: Rasco, Okefia, Awosuru, Tanishi, Gbonmi, Oke-Baale and Testing Ground, where vehicular traffic and human movement were halted till about 7. pm after the rain.

    Many residents in the affected areas, whose properties were destroyed by the flood were also trapped in their houses.

    Commuters were stranded at the bus stops as the intra-city buses disappeared from the roads.

    Inter-city travellers could not also embark on their trips.

    Some of the travellers, who were desperate to return to their stations after the Sallah celebrations besieged the Old Garage motor park and many others were seen on the road side on Gbongan Expressway with their luggage.