The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rainstorm

  • Again, rainstorm destroys homes in Ibadan

    Again, rainstorm destroys homes in Ibadan

    A three-hour rainfall accompanied by heavy storm descended on Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Tuesday, last week destroying in the process, several residential buildings, business premises and electricity poles in many parts of the city. OSEHEYE OKWUOFU reports.

    After waiting for several months for the rains to come, residents of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital had the first rain of the year on Tuesday last week, but it was a bitter-sweet experience for many of them.

    While the rain water and cool breeze tempered the excessively hot weather and provided free water for many households without pipe-borne water, the accompanying rainstorm damaged many buildings and public property.

    At the end of the three-hour heavy downpour, many houses were left with no roof, having been blown away by the strong wind, IMG_20150325_225502while many electricity poles were either broken or uprooted, leaving many households without public electricity supply.

    As was the case few year ago,in the city. Many residential buildings were badly affected by the wind that accompanied the downpour. Quite a number of concrete electric poles and cables were brought down and smashed into shreds on the roads, causing damage to shops and business places nearby.

    Apart from the damage to electricity poles and cables belonging to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), the power company in charge of distribution of electricity to the city of Ibadan and environs, many fish ponds and farmlands were flooded by the storm water in some areas, causing heavy losses to the owners running into hundreds of thousands of naira.

    In most of the areas visited by The Nation, nothing had been done to repair the damage since the unfortunate incident, except few areas where electricity has been restored.

    At Omi-Adio and Apata areas of the city where the damage was much, electricity had been restored in some places while other areas were still in darkness.

    IMG_20150325_230033At Ido town, many buildings whose roof tops were blown off were still without any roofing while electricity poles and cables were still lying on the roads.  The situation was the same at Iyana-Ido area, especially after the railway crossing with most of the residents without electricity.

    In Ibadan South West Local Government where the rainstorm also left its traces, few residential buildings affected by the storm remained unattended to while others have been repaired by their owners. At Odo-Ona and Ago-Tailor areas of the city, it was tales of woe from the affected residents. They complained of blackout even as they await officials of the power company to replace the damaged electricity installations.

    A farmer who lives in one of the affected buildings Mr Monday Iyasele said “We have been waiting for the officials of the power company to come and repair this light. In fact, we have lodged complaint and we hope they will do something soon to restore our light.

    “We don’t have the money to buy poles, cable and other materials. And that is why you see the cables and poles still lying on the roads. Maybe they wanted us to contribute money to get the materials, but I can tell you that we don’t have that kind of money. They collect money for the electricity and it is their responsibility to repair these damaged equipment. Financially, some are incapacitated even to replace their roofing sheets damaged by the rainstorm.

    “We can’t replace the roofing sheets because we don’t have the money to do so. It takes a lot of money to replace them and since the money is not there we have no choice than to bear the consequence of what happened. If there is rain now, everywhere will be full of water as a result of leakages, and we must cope with it because we don’t have any choice. We pray that God will one day provide the money to fix it”.

    Even traders, welders, and shop owners who depend on electricity claimed their businesses have suffered a major setback since the downpour. Mr Wasiu Adebayo who owns a welder’s workshop at Omi-Adio described the blackout as unbearable.

    Other residents affected by the rainstorm are still groaning as they are yet to recover from the loss, while the power distribution company is still battling to replace the damaged electric poles and cables.

    Although, electricity supply has been restored to some strategic areas of the city, some residents yet to receive supply have been using private electricians to fix some of the damaged equipment.

    Some complained about the conduct of the power company officials who they alleged were not alive to their responsibility.

    They wondered why it would take the power distribution company more than two weeks to restore light to the affected areas.

    Speaking on the damage to electric poles and cables, a school teacher at Iyana Ido,  Mr Kingsley Oke lamented that since the rainstorm caused damage to power installations the workers of the power distribution company have not visited to assess the damage and proffer immediate solution.

    However, the management of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has pleaded with the affected residents, assuring them that electricity would soon be restored.

    The Public Relations Officer of IBEDC, Mr Frank William who spoke with The Nation said” we are working very hard to restore power to the affected areas. Our men are on the field working to ensure that we replace all the damaged installations. We plead that our customers affected by the rainstorm should exercise patience, everything will soon be normalised .”

  • Rainstorm kills four-yr-old pupil

    Tragedy struck in Ilara near Ogijo, Sagamu Local Government  area of Ogun State, on Monday March 9, 2015, when a four- year-old pupil, Fabian Lawal, died during a rainstorm that ravaged the Local Government Primary School in the village.

    Three teachers were injured as teachers and pupils  scampered  to safety.

    The roofs of some of the school buildings were destroyed.

    Fabian was said to have fallen down and sustained injuries during a pandemonium that broke out during  the heavy rainfall.

    Some of the school buildings which were built in 1957, according to sources, had become dilapidated with no effort in sight   to rehabilitate them.

    Parents and sympathizers who thronged  the school shortly after the rain said the scene was strewn with sandals, bags and books belonging to the  pupils.

    An eyewitness who asked not to be named said: “It was during the intensity of the rainstorm that Fabian fell down and sustained injuries. Some of the teachers around tried to salvage her life but the little girl died before she could be taken to a hospital.”

    It was gathered that the injured teachers  were  taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, OOUTH, Sagamu, for treatment.

    “Some roofing sheets of the school building crashed on the heads of  teachers. It would have been more disastrous if all the pupils had sought refuge in the classroom where the teachers were injured,” the eyewitness said.

    “Some of the pupils who fled  from the school in the thick of the incident were the ones who called   the villagers out for help when the situation became unbearable.”

    A community leader who also asked not to be named  pleaded with the  State government to come to the aid of the school by rehabilitating the dilapidated classrooms in the school.

    He said: “The damage would not have been much if the deplorable school buildings had been fixed before now. I want to therefore call on our action governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun to fix the damaged structures in the school.”

    Confirming the incident via  a text message, the spokesman for the  Ogun Police Command, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “The roof of the building was removed by wind during a rainfall and it fell on some people. One person was confirmed dead while some were injured.”

  • Rainstorm destroys 10 houses, electricity poles in Delta

    SEVERAL residents of Ughelli in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State have been rendered homeless by a rainstorm that destroyed 10 houses and electric poles in the area.

    The rainstorm caused the collapse of some of the houses, including a three-storey building.

    Concrete electricity poles and conductors belonging to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and stores were among property destroyed in Otovwodo and Akpodiete.

    Some residents described the incident as a big disaster, adding that the storm did not last more than 30 minutes.

    One of the victims, Mr. Sunday Abroko, told reporters that if the rainstorm had continued for another two hours, all the houses in Ughelli would have collapsed.

    He said the storm forced some residents to relocate from the area.

    At the time of filing this report, BEDC workers were seen patrolling the area to assess    the damage.

    It was learnt that the storm might have disrupted electricity supply to parts of the town.

  • Herdsmen rue cows loss to rainstorm

    Herdsmen rue cows loss to rainstorm

    They waited for so long for the rainy season. When it eventually came, it was a source of misery to residents of Yobe State.

    Penultimate week, the rain was so heavy it turned tragic for some clustered Fulani communities. They lost thousands of their animals, especially cows, to the storm that preceded the rain.

    The average Fulani man could be sentimental about his herd, so much so that the loss of one demoralises him. Most times, a Fulani herdsman feels pain when he decides to sell a cow out of his flock, irrespective of the monetary gain.

    Many of them prefer tendering the cows and allowing them to increase in number to selling them, unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

    This apparently explains why Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, once said: “For the Fulani, cows are more than four-legged animals. For me, tending to cattle is a hobby and more.”

    Investigations revealed that many of the herdsmen are still brooding over the loss of their cows.

    Leaders of the Fulani under the aegis of the Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association told our correspondent that some of the herdsmen are unwell due to the huge loss they suffered as a result of the rain storm. The leaders were in Damaturu, Yobe State capital, to seek the state government’s assistance.

    It was gathered that the flock of many of them have depleted. For instance, it was revealed that one of them, Mallam Hassan Lamido Manu, lost 30 cows, 50 goats and 50 sheep to the storm.

    Another victim, Wakili Manu, lost 15 cows and 61 goats. The story of Dio Manu is another pathetic one as all his 33 cows were killed by the storm that night, while Haro Aridojo, a herdsman from Mungono Village in Tarmuwa Local Government Area, said 29 out of his 30 cattle died.

    To prevent total loss, some of the herdsmen decided to slaughter their cattle and sell them at give-away prices. It was gathered that a cow was sold for N5,000 as against the market price of more than N60, 000, while a goat was sold for N200 as against N10, 000.

    “I slaughtered them and brought them to Damaturu. We sold some of them at give-away prices of N1, 000 and N800. But the government cautioned the butchers not to buy,” Aridojo said.

    He further explained that over 30 trucks of the slaughtered cows were evacuated from his village to parts of Jos, Bauchi and Jigawa states, adding: “We had no option than to slaughter and sell them. This is because the cattle were starving even before the heavy rain hit them. They could no longer walk, and in few days, they would all die.”

    He emphasised that they had been in contact with leaders of Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association over the difficulty they were experiencing in feeding and watering the livestock, stressing that “they keep telling us that government is going to do something on it.”

    Lamido Manu, leader of the Fulani in GarinSaje Village said he lost over 50 farm animals in Jakusko/Nasri Grazing Reserve. He claimed that “butchers came and bought some of the slaughtered animals from Jakusko and Gashua. But, today if 40 butchers can come to my house, I will give them free cows because, they are decaying and nobody is coming to buy the beef.”

    He called on the state government to urgently intervene and save the poor herdsmen that rely solely on cows for their livelihood.

    Investigation revealed that most of the settlements around the area have relocated due to unpleasant odour from decomposing cows around the area.

    Yobe State Secretary of Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Khalil Muhammad Bello confirmed that the heavy down pour and strong wind affected many herds in Tarmuwa, Dapchi, Gujba, Jakusko  local government areas.

    He said the Association had submitted a request through the Ministry of Animals and Fisheries on issues concerning water and fodder for the livestock. He called on government to expedite its effort in assisting the breeders with enough fodder so that losses recorded would be minimised.

    Investigations revealed that N200m was budgeted for nomad in this year’s budget. The money aimed at providing water and animal feeds is yet to be accessed by the Ministry for Animals and Fisheries.

    Some Fulani settlements that were worst affected include Gadiram, Abbari, Daragi, Mongonu and NasriinTarmowa, Jakusko and Damaturu local government areas.

    Water, according to Lamido Dodele, is one of their major challenges in Ngasarga another settlement affected.

    He further said: “Our children travel for two days to get water for the cows and another two days to return. By the time they return, the cows are already exhausted. This is what we go through all year round. There is no water in our community. Animals don’t have food to eat. We spent a lot of money buying food for them.

    “Each bag of animal feed costs about N3, 400. In a month, some people will buy like 150 bags depending on the number of cows that they have. We appeal to government to come to our aid. Every year, we hear that government is buying grains and selling at subsidised rates. I think they can do same for us to reduce our sufferings.”

  • Lagos gives N3m aid to rainstorm victims

    Lagos State Government has presented a cheque of N3 million, which was the last phase of its financial assistance, to victims of rainstorm disaster in the Surulere Local Government Area.

    General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who presented the cheques to the victims in Alausa yesterday, said 60 of them received the sum of N50,000 each to alleviate their suffering following the disaster.

    Oke-Osanyintolu explained that the government also carried out reconstruction of the victims’ affected structures with about N50million, assuring residents of government wiliness to reach out to them.

    He said the primary victims, mostly tenants that occupy the affected building, were the beneficiaries of the N50,000, while the secondary beneficiaries are the owners of the building that have taken possession of their reconstructed property.

    He said: “Emergencies and disasters by nature are unforeseen and sudden. And this explains why the blows by them are usually deadly and devastating. It is in line with this philosophy that the governor has approved payment of this financial assistance.”

    He said the agency had paid a total of N13million to occupants of 65 flats at Jakande Estate in Oke-Afa, adding that 17 flats owners were paid in the first phase, 24 flat owners in the second and 24 flat owners in the third phase.

    He said plans are ongoing by the government to rebuild the demolished structure and hand them over to the owners, adding that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with them to show government’s commitment to return the property to them when completed.

    He suspended plans to present cheques of N200,000 each to 24 flats’ owners in the last phase at Jakande Estate in Oke-Afa area due to low turnout of affected persons as well as following report that some aggrieved members plan to institute legal suit against government.

    He charged residents on the need to insure their properties, while urging them to always accord safety issues the deserved attention in daily activities.

  • Rainstorm rage at UNIMAID

    Rainstorm rage at UNIMAID

    Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) last Monday when  rainstorm hit the Borno State capital. TAIWO ISOLA (300-Level Human Anatomy) reports.

    A RAinstorm hit the beleaguered Maiduguri, Borno State capital, last Monday, sweeping away properties worth millions of naira. The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) was affected.

    The rainstorm raged for two hours. It swept through the campus when many students were in the examination halls. Some were in their hostels; others were buying food stuff at the commercial areas of the campus.

    A student, Tola Bamigboye, who was washing clothes in the hostel, said: “We noticed the cloud became thick and the wind started blowing everything in different directions. The storm blew sand everywhere; it was a terrible scene.”

    Fatima Suleiman, who was in the examination hall, said the hall “vibrated continuously” while the storm lasted. She said: “The ceiling was blown off. Everybody was scared. We wrote the paper, despite that the rainstorm blew sand into the hall. Our answer booklets were covered in dust.”

    Students and lecturers ran helter-skelter in the midst of the storm to avoid being hit by objects. The storm uprooted some trees, blew off roofs and destroyed window louvres.

    A section of the roof of the Faculty of Education building was blown off, exposing documents and furniture in lecturers’ offices to the elements. The Department of Geology was worse hit as its roof was blown off.

    Abdulwahab Abdulahi, a student, who was in Modibbo Lecture Theatre during the storm, said: “I testified to the greatness of God when trees were uprooted right before my eyes. I have never witnessed such.”

    The College of Medical Sciences and Faculty of Pharmacy were not spared by the raging storm. A lecturer, who did not give his name, said: “I was in my office when the storm started. I watched my car being hit by fallen tree branches. When the storm was over, I discovered the car hood was badly damaged.”

    At the university staff quarters, tree branches destroyed buildings and vehicles. Electricity poles were uprooted, leaving the campus in darkness after the incident. Power was restored in some areas days after.

    At the commercial area and the Ecumenical Centre, shops were reduced to rubbles; many traders lost their goods. When the rainstorm subsided, those who fled returned to meet their shops in ruins. They wore gloomy faces, standing in groups to count their losses.

    Some traders wailed on seeing that their investments had gone with the wind. Some were seen salvaging what was left of their goods in the rubbles. A fish trader whose kiosk was destroyed said: “All glory be to God. Though I lost everything but I did not lose my life. I know it will be tough, but I will rise again.”

    Students’ fellowship tents around the Ecumenical Centre were blown away. When CAMPUSLIFE visited the site in the evening, students, who always gathered to worship there, were nohwre to be found.

  • Hoodlums, rainstorm worry residents

    Residents have sent a save-our-souls (SOS) to the government over threats posed to them by an abandoned garden and rainstorm.

     The residents of Egbeyemi Street at Ilupeju in Lagos are praying the government to immediately evacuate the garden which is behind a building that “harbours a destructive tree that often gives way during the rains.”

    Whenever there are rain  storms, they said, the tree’s branches fall off, destroying fences, vehicles and other structures.

    The vehicles parked on the premises of an automobile company, De-Damak Nigeria Limited, were recently destroyed by such stormed, they said.

    The caretaker of the property, Mr Sadiq Olanrewaju, said hoodlums hide in the garden at night to harm passersby.

    A security official, who pleaded anonymity, said the former owner gave the garden to his son who now manages it.

    “Before, he always left the garden bushy until we called him to take care of it. Street urchins and Indian hemp smokers have turned it to their operational base”, the source said.

    Olanrewaju said in March, last year, the fence of the premises was destroyed by rainstorm . The tree’s branches, he said, fell into the compound and destroyed two new Pick-up vans.

    He said the owner of the garden promised to prune the tree, but never did till another rainstorm last Sunday.

    Olanrewaju, who said the owner of the garden could not be reached, said the case was reported to the police, adding: “I was told to report the case to the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, which I did. The officials promised to look at the issue, but nothing has been heard from them since then.”

  • Rainstorm kills two in Benue

    Two people were killed and property worth millions destroyed in a rainstorm at Makurdi, Benue State, on Wednesday. The storm pulled down many trees.

    The victims died at the Northbank area of Makurdi when an electricity pole fell on a bungalow.

    A former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mike Aondoakaa, was worse hit as his rice milling plant collapsed.

    The roof of the plant was blown off and this affected the air compressor, ware house, parboiling unit and elevator. Processed rice worth N100 million was destroyed.

    The Makurdi Business Unit of Jos Electricity Distribution Company said more than 100 electric poles were destroyed.

    The business manager, John Emeruwa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the company had sustained “colossal damage”.

    “The storm caused colossal damage to our facilities in Otupko, Ugbokolo and Makurdi.

    “More than 100 electrical poles were destroyed in Makurdi. The damage is immense; we have informed our head office in Jos.

    “Otukpo and Ugbokolo also had similar incidents but it was not like that of Makurdi. This is going to cost a lot to fix.”

    Emeruwa assured the company’s customers that full electricity supply to Makurdi and environs would be restored soon.

  • Rainstorm destroys electricity poles in Benue

    The Makurdi Business Unit of Jos Electricity Distribution Company, on Thursday said rainstorm had destroyed more than 100 electricity poles on Wednesday night in parts of Benue.

    The rainstorm had also destroyed houses and pushed down many trees in Makurdi, the state capital.

    The business manager of the unit, Mr John Emeruwa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi that the company had sustained “colossal damage” in the incident.

    “The storm had caused colossal damage to our facilities in three towns, Otupko, Ugbokolo and Makurdi.

    “More than 100 electrical poles were destroyed in Makurdi alone. The damage is immense; we have already informed our head office in Jos.

    “Otukpo and Ugbokolo also had similar incidents but it was not like that of Makurdi. This is going to cost a lot to fix.”

    Emeruwa however assured the company’s customers that full electricity supply to Makurdi and environs would be restored soon.

    “The process of power restoration is on. It is not a day’s job.”

    He commended security agencies, especially the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps for protecting public and private facilities in the state.

  • Rainstorm wreaks havoc

    A three-hour rainstorm has destroyed no fewer than 180 structures including residential homes, schools and hospitals in Musawa, headquarters of Musawa Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    The disaster was the second in about two weeks following a similar occurrence on May 29 that destroyed 50 structures in the town.

    The Chairman of the council’s Transition Committee,Alhaji Tanimu Kira told newsmen after inspecting the affected areas that a committee had been set up to verify the extent of the damage, adding that a relief package would be distributed to the victims.

    He said that the council had provided the victims with temporary accommodation pending intervention by the state and federal governments.

    He also said that the council had distributed 100 bags of cement on June 11 to the victims of the May 29 incident, noting that the gesture was an interim measure to cushion the hardship faced by the people.

    He described the incident as the Will of God, and cautioned people against indiscriminate refuse disposal and blocking of waterways.

    Kira said such acts were responsible for environmental pollution, and stressed the need for collective effort to protect the environment.

    He also advised the residents to refrain from indiscriminate felling of trees, but rather to cultivate the habit of planting trees to replace lost ones to check desert encroachment.