Residents of communities like Isheri, Arepo, Lafenwa, Warewa, and other areas along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State dey experience serious fear and panic as floodwater dey rise due to the release of water from the Oyan River Dam by the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Authority.
According to reports, the residents start to see gradual increase in the current of the Ogun River from Saturday, and by Monday, the water don overflow, spreading across areas some metres away from the river bank. The areas around Long Bridge already flooded, and many residents dey express fear over another round of flood crisis in their communities.
Some residents of Lekki Gardens, Queens Garden, and Airport Estate don start leaving the area as the water level continue to rise. A resident of Queens Garden, Mr Ayinde, talk say the residents start to move out of the estate in the last 24 hours. “There is a lot of water everywhere now. While some are still contemplating when to leave, others have already started moving out. The evacuation started in the last 24 hours, the moment we discovered that our estate had become flooded. I am also leaving anytime soon,” he say.
Tomiwa Olowu, another resident, talk say he don move his family into a hotel away from the community. “I moved my family into a hotel close to Berger. I have also moved some of my property because they got damaged in the flood last year,” he explain. A video sent to PUNCH Metro also show a fallen electric pole lying in the flood water, which residents say is one of the devastating effects of the imminent flood crisis.
The Chairman of Riverview Estate, Abayomi Akinde, confirm say there is ongoing evacuation. “The estates inside Riverview are flooded already. The water had already started entering people’s houses. It is not like they are being proactive by running away. Nobody is going to die before the death comes. The moment the water starts entering their various compounds before it gets to the point where they are not able to drive their vehicles out, they quickly have to start leaving,” he say.
Akinde also appeal to the government to intervene urgently. “The government should do other things to complement what is going on here, knowing that there are lives who were impacted and it is more painful for those of us that the government put here. We bought the land from them,” he add.
