stories By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Lekan Bilesanmi

It is typical of the popular cliche: “One man’s meat is another man poison”. While some desperately crave for rainfall, others pray fervently against it, particularly when the aftermath comes with loss of lives and property.

About six streets- Akin Olugbade,Church,Alhaja Mama,Bilesanmi Adedayo and Jemi Alade- in the Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area are presently submerged following recent downpours, leading to the near-drowning of a 16-year-old boy.He was revived thereafter though. Two persons had two Wednesdays back lost their lives in the same area when the heavens opened up.

Mrs Florence Adebowale whose son,Segun,16, almost drowned and was resuscitated at a nearby hospital, said Segun had gone to the bathroom to ease himself when she started hearing shouts for help. “All the neighbours rushed out and I was shouting Segun! Segun!! even as I rushed to the backyard. As I got there, other neighbours standing by the entrance of the corridor just pointed to the flood. Just then, two men emerged and jumped into it; few minutes later they brought out Segun and so we quickly rushed him to the hospital. If not for the neighbours the boy would have gone,” she said. The rains started a little after 4am.

Mike Okwara, one of the landlords and chairman of Akin Olugbade Landlord Association explained that the problem in the area was lack of functional drains that will take the water down to the Lasu-Iba road.”We have made representations to the state government about the flood in this area. We met with the former commissioner, Dr. Muiz Banire, who assured us that the area would be looked into in 2008 but this is 2011,nothing has yet been done, even though on several occasions the officials of the Environment Ministry were here but that is all we have seen. Two persons died in this same flood last week and if not for the prompt action of the people we would have lost another person yesterday. Many of us relocated last week when the flood came; we only returned a few days later. But here we are, we had to move out again. We are tax-paying residents who should at least enjoy, however small it may be, some government benefits like simple functional drains. As you can see, no road is accessible here now and it will remain like this until another four days; that is, if it does not start raining again. We don’t want to lose another life; even if we have to lose property but certainly not lives like that of last week.We beg and even appeal to the conscience of our leaders in government, both here in the Egbe-Idimu Council Area and in Alausa, to help out with the drains. One of the promises former Deputy Governor, Mrs. Sarah Sosan, made to this area when she was campaigning in 2003 was that the drains would be done, but here we are back to square one,” he lamented.

Mr Ajibola,a resident of Jemi Alade Street,one of the affected streets, said members had made representation to the former Deputy Governor through her husband,retired Commander Sosan on the need to construct the drains in other to avert further disaster in the area. ”Some four years back, 2007, a house collapsed in this vicinity. The only saving grace for us at that time was that there was nobody in the building before it came down. Another life was lost here in 2006 when a woman slipped and fell into the flowing flood. We did a survey of this place when the Environment officials came here to demand for it; we submitted it to them in their office. We just hope and pray that government will fulfill this promise. The difference between this government and any other one is its integrity. We pray they will still keep up to that,” he said.

A call to the Chairman of the Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area, Mr Waheed Bello, proved abortive. He neither picked his call nor responded to our sms enguiry.