Lagos, Ogun and other flood prone state in the country have been heavily flooded in the last three days as residents in these areas are lamenting the financial impact the foods has visited on them. The heavy and continuous rainfall in several parts of these states, led to floods that damaged, vehicles, houses and other property. Some persons have lost their lives as a result of the flooding. According to The Lagos State Emergency Agency, in a statement, said following the downpour on Saturday, an elderly woman suffering from a stroke was trapped in a building in the Ipaja area of the state. The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency responded to a distress call concerning the incident.
He said, “A search and rescue operation by the agency’s response team confirmed the victim to be alive although suffering from a stroke.“The woman has been extricated from the building and the pre-hospital care unit of the agency is administering first aid to the victim before she is transported to the hospital. “We have been responding to distress calls throughout Lagos with reports on flooding and flood damage in affected areas and reassure the good people of Lagos that we are on standby via our emergency lines 112/767 and 0806 090 7333. We urge Lagosians to avoid non-essential travel in areas that are most affected by flooding. Parents and guardians are to keep their children and wards warm and dry to avoid secondary illnesses. We appeal to community leaders to use the public holidays to carry out some remedial clearing of blocked drainage which will allow for free flow of stormwater and reduce the impact.”
The Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State, Ibrahim Farinloye, said two persons were feared dead in the Orile-Agege flooding. He said, “Two vehicles, a Lexus and a Toyota, containing three persons each, were involved in the flooding. The residents reportedly warned the occupants of the vehicles to desist from passing through the said road but they were adamant, drove through, and were eventually swept away by the flood. “One of the occupants of the vehicle swam out of the flood, while two others were helped by residents. Although three instead of four were found, two others are still missing.”
According to victims who lamented their losses their what they lost are worth several million, the unfortunate thing is that the government, which they said had failed them won’t take responsibility. Some of the affected areas in Lagos are Marina, Lekki, Agege, Iju Road, Victoria Island, Oshodi, Ago Palace, Ilupeju, Ogudu, Ketu and Magboro, Satellite Town, Ijegun Egba among other parts of the states. Akeem Ajayi, a resident of Magboro, Ogun State, said, “I stay around Oke-afa in Magboro and the road to my house around Owo junction has been flooded since Saturday and that has caused a major damaged to my Corolla, as it has damaged my engine. “This is an annual problem for us here and the government has failed to pay attention to us. We pay our taxes, and also provide basic amenities like roads, water and electricity, but government has failed us by not solving the problem of flooding for us. We are not asking for too much. This government has failed us.”
A Lagos resident, Gbenga Omojola, who resides around Agege, said, “The flood entered my living room and damaged my chairs, television sets and other items because I had travelled for Ileya. “I had to rush back when my neighbours shared images of their damages with me. I thought their damages were much till I saw mine. I lost everything in the living room and the rooms downstairs to the flood. Sincerely, both state and federal governments have failed us because this has persisted over the years and it is obvious that they are confused.”
