Tag: Ogun flood

The Ogun State government has kick-started the distribution of materials to 1,800 flood victims in Abeokuta North and South local government areas.

At the distribution of the materials to flood victims on July 13 at the Arcade Ground, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Governor Ibikunle Amosun said flooding is a global phenomenon.

The governor noted that it is caused by climate change and continues to wreck more havoc in different parts of the world.

Represented by his deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, the governor said mostly affected structures were on flood prone areas with poor sanitation.

He urged relevant government agencies to be more effective at ensuring good environmental sanitation to prevent a recurrence.

Also, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustafa Maihaja, who was represented by the Chief Planning Officer, Mr. Segun Afolayan, said 1,800 victims registered with NEMA and their items were ready for distribution.

The NEMA chief urged the Federal Government to sign the agency’s bill into law to enable it perform its duties.

The Commissioner for Environment Bolaji Oyeleye said the materials distributed to the flood victims included foodstuffs, building materials and mattresses.

He advised the beneficiaries to use them well.

On behalf of other beneficiaries, Mrs. Anike Ogunsola and Mr. Abayomi Idowu, expressed appreciation to the Federal and state governments.

The duo urged the governments to ensure proper enforcement of environmental laws.

Barely one week after flood ravaged parts of Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, grieving relatives of an 18-month-old boy swept away by the flood, Master Shuaib said they had given up hope of ever seeing him dead or alive.

Shuaib is one of the over a dozen people feared dead in the flood. The toddler and  his mother; Halirah, four year-old brother, Abdeen  and grandmother; Mrs Morili Akintoye were inside a kiosk where the mother sell rice and some petty items on the evening of July 13, when the rain that preceded the flood began.

In no time, the surging flood toppled the kiosk there but while trying to escape, with her children, Halirah fell and got drowned along with the two boys in the flood that reached lintel level of houses in some affected areas.

The Nation visited the family house located at Agbole Asalu, MacGregor, Ilawo, Abeokuta, in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state and found that they were still battling with the pains of losing their loved ones to the flood.

The grandmother had been taken away from Abeokuta to live with one of her brother elsewhere in order to ease the pace of emotional recovery.

Her nephew, Monsuru Adegbola,, who spoke  through sign language while his daughter did the interpretation, said the family lost three persons to the flood and that it was providence that saved his aunty(Mrs Morili Akintoye), as she was rescued alive when some youths sighted her being swept away by the flood.

But Abdeen, Halirah and Shuaib were not lucky. They lost their lives. The agonising aspect of it is that while the remains of Abideen and Halirah were gathered and given burial according to their faith, that of Shuaib has not been found.

Searches were carried out along the flood path for him had not yielded success, The Nation was told.

Adegbola who took our correspondent to the location of his relations’ shop where the victims were, before the flood swept them away,    said the family had given up hope of ever recovering Shuaib alive or dead, adding that it was a painful thing they are finding difficult to bear.

According to him, this in part, informed why his aunty had to be taken away. He said Mrs Halirah does not live in Ilawo area but only visit there to assist her mother( Morili) at the shop.

He appealed to the state and federal government to assist his aunty pick up the pieces of her life again by helping with money and modest shop to start a petty trading since the previous one being managed on her behalf by the late daughter, Halirah, also perished in the flood.

”The remains of two were buried on Saturday morning but we have not seen Shuaib and have since stopped searching for him,” Adegbola said.

Aside loss of lives, scores of residents were sacked from their homes and shops in many locations in Abeokuta and its environs whose apartments were either submerged or brought down.

Household items, goods and other valuables were destroyed in Ijeja, Ijaiye, Gbangban, Amolasho, Kuto, Olomore.

Also, in Iya Amolasho area of Abeokuta, 35- year-old Ms Somuyiwa Bisola Farida, proprietress of Bisola Stores had her stores and warehouse of assorted goods and beverages ruined by the ravaging flood which, she said, she saw coming towards her shop with fury but could not venture to rescue anything lest she gets submerged.

Farida told The Nation that she had just stocked her warehouse with goods ahead of the Ileya, but lost 80% of them.

She said preliminary checks have revealed she has lost over N5m worth of goods, lamenting that the latest incident was about the fourth time, her goods had gone down the canal following perennial flooding.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who visited the affected areas few days after the occurrence, described it as “very very unfortunate indeed,” pledging that the Federal government would send relief materials to help cushion the effects on the victims.

VICE President Yemi Osinbajo was in Ogun State yesterday to assess the communities affected by recent flood in Abeokuta and its environs.

He assured that the Federal Government would come to the aide of the government of the Gateway State and victims of the natural disaster with relief materials.

Osinbajo, who described last Friday’s flood that ravaged homes, business premises, bridges and even claimed lives,  as “very very unfortunate,” said aside the immediate provision of succour to the victims, further assistance would  be provided on a permanent basis to help cushion the effects of flood.

The vice president gave hint of the assistance while fielding questions from reporters in  Abeokuta, the state capital, during his on-the-spot  assessment of some of the ravaged areas.

He was accompanied by Finance Minister Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director-General Mustapha Maihaja.

Prof Osinbajo said that despite the drainages and infrastructure put in place by the government, the flood still wreaked havoc, assuring that the Federal Government would collaborate with the state to improve on the infrastructure in order to forestall future occurrence.

He said: “Let me say what has happened here is very very unfortunate indeed.  A lot of the drainages have been done, but the level of the rain had been so heavy that it has overtaken the infrastructure in place.  So what we are looking at is how this can be enhanced and we are also discussing with His Excellency on how to do this.

“We have to really sit down and look at those challenges properly.  We are providing immediate relief materials to support the state govt.

“We learnt that NEMA was here to provide that immediate succour.  On a permanent basis, we are planning on how to sit with the state government on how to provide succour.”

He conveyed the Federal Government’s condolence to the families of the victims and Ogun State government, and advised residents to change behaviours that obstruct the drainages.

“The unfortunate incident is unavoidable. Flash flooding where you have rain for hours, especially rains in the tropics, the type in the area that we are, it is difficult to avoid flash flooding. We are fortunate that it did not take place at night, because if it did, and there is a sudden surge of water, it will naturally cause a lot of disaster.

“One of the things that we have to do as a people is that we have to change our habit of blocking drainages. Inspite of channelisation, where you have this kind heavy rain falling within short hours, it will be like this.

“What we might need to do when the rain is heavy,  is that those who live in the valley, will have to move quickly to higher ground. This is because there is nothing we can do about a valley, a valley is a valley.”