Aboru, Lagos Community Still Counting Losses Days After Rains Of Horror

Rains have been falling in Lagos and the world at large, but the one of Saturday July 9, 2022 was with a difference.

The climax of over seven days of rain came on Saturday which lasted over 10 long hours and left in its trail tales of woes and anguish on the lips of the residents of Isale Aboru Community in Agbado Oke Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Alimosho Local Government Area in Lagos State.

After the rain subsided, and it was time for the residents to count their losses, it was not a laughing matter at all.

Fences were pulled down, many homes were flooded, several properties destroyed and in a neighbouring community lives were lost.

Moving round the community on Sunday morning, our correspondent discovered that many members of the community were not able to go to their various church services, several others were engaged in cleaning their homes and premises while many others had nothing to wear to make the day.

The havoc covered more than six major streets in the neighborhood which was a home to over 500,000 adults that could be potential vote mines for the polity.

In the words of Pastor Godwin Ogwu whose fence was pulled down by the rain, that kind of rain would remain indelible in his memories for a long time.

According to him, he had been in the community where he built his house for over 20 years and his house has never been flooded for once but the Saturday rain was one sad experience.

Apart from losing his fence, many of his home appliances were also affected by the rain. These included his power generator, refrigerator and other basic materials.

To the family of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Osomina, the experience was a baptism of fire.

“We just moved to this area about three months ago only to come and experience this rain and its unexpected flooding,” Osomina said.

At the end of the rainfall, his premises at Emmanuel Aina Street was covered by the flood, the fence of their house was pulled down, and he lost many of his appliances to the flood which entered all parts of their flat.

Their daughter also related how they had to contend with snakes and dangerous elements which came with the flood.

“We had to run from the rain on one hand and snake on the other. It was a harrowing experience,” she said.

Other parts of the community affected by the flood included Jimoh Yusuf, Fatai Street and Club Road.

According to the residents, they never expected that the rain would fall with such a devastating effect.

“When it started we thought it was the usual rain but when it continued to fall without stopping, I had to call my wife to move out of the premises” revealed Mr. Adegbola Fadeyi, the Secretary of the Community Development Association.

“Some residents had to be housed with neighbours. For hours we could not reach out to them as we could not enter the flood to bring them out. That was how we had to wait until the water went low,” Fadeyi said.

Same with Mr. Ademola Adesoji who had been summoned to the community to evacuate his mother and siblings.

“I got to Emmanuel Aina street at about 10am but I could not reach out to my mum and siblings until about 4.00pm. The experience was not an easy one but we thank God we did not lose any life,” Adesoji said thanking God.

There were so many stories of pains and anguish as told by the victims.

For Mrs. Sule, whose husband had been away for the Sallah break, the story was of a bad one on a Sallah day.

The rain had started on Friday but it became worse on Saturday. She went to the mosque for the Sallah prayer only to come back to discover that the entire place had been flooded.

“For this reason, we could not enter our house,” complaining she had not eaten for about 24 hours. The pots of food she prepared for the family had been carried away by the flood and nothing was left for her and the children to feed on.

Same went for Mama Samuel with her two children whose bread winner had also been away for the break.

“I had to send to my sister who brought us bread which we eat with nothing,” she lamented.

These were the lots of many residents of the community which consist of widows, widowers, and the have nots.

It was on this note that the Chairman of the CDA Julius Adegunna called on the government and all well meaning members of the public to come to the assistance of his fellow residents.

“From what I saw, I discovered that many of our residents had lost a lot of their properties to the flood which may not be easy to recover with the situation of things in our country today.

“Many of the affected people lost raw foodstuffs, clothing, and their basic appliances to the flood. I think the government should do something to alleviate their situation,” Adegunna said.

Speaking further, Adegunna said, “This is more or less an emergency situation which was not prepared for. The government can arrange for cash gifts, food materials, beverages and health care services for the victims.

“We also want the government both at state and local government levels to pay a visit to the community to have a live assessment of the situation on the ground.

He also called on the government to compel the contractors handling the Akinola-Aboru-Ikola Canal drainage project to expedite action complaining that the pace of work on the drainage has been too slow.

“We have complained severally to those that matter in government but all we are being told are promises which we are waiting for their fulfilment.

“As a matter of urgency, we want the government to help us dredge the canal as a temporary measure pending when the contractors would finish up the project.

“While waiting, the government can also go further to sensitise the residents on the dangers of living in such an environment and what they can do as a relief measure in the alternative until the place could enjoy full development,” he advised.

*Julius Adegunna wrote from Aboru, Lagos.