Residents of Igbaja Street in the Bariga area of Lagos State are facing severe difficulties due to the deplorable state of the only road that connects them to the expressway and other parts of the area.
The residents have expressed their frustration over the perpetual flooding of the road, forcing them to use rubber boots just to traverse it daily.
They also raised concerns about the sorry condition of the drainage system in the area, which exacerbates the flooding issue. According to an eye witness, the drainage was clogged with water and debris, and businesses on the street couldn’t open until mid-afternoon when the water receded.
One resident, Mr. Gbenga Aina, shared his challenges, explaining that he finds it extremely challenging to take his three children to school and bring them back home since the water level began rising last month. “It is very difficult to take my children to school every morning. I don’t have a car, so I would have to carry the three of them one by one to the end of the street. Tricycles won’t operate here, and there are no bikes available. I am just praying to God to provide money for me to leave this place because I put my children in danger every day. We don’t know when this will end. Some people say it will stop by October or November, but it doesn’t seem like it will end anytime soon.”
Another resident, known as Mr. Gabriel, mentioned that he moved in last year without knowledge of the recurring flooding issue. “When I moved in in 2022, everything was dry. Suddenly, I started noticing water flooding the entire area in the evenings. I asked some longtime residents, and they said it was a regular occurrence at the end of the year.
However, throughout 2023, we’ve endured this flooding on this street. Landlords here only rent out their houses when the street is dry, so most of us were unaware of this situation. The government needs to come and help us. The drainage system is in terrible shape, with overgrown grass blocking the water flow,” he said.
A shop owner, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed his concerns about declining sales since the flooding began. “Rain exacerbates the flooding here. Look at my shop; I can’t even display my goods unless the place dries up. Sometimes, I can’t open the shop until later in the afternoon. If I had a choice, I would have left this place, but I don’t even earn enough money to support my family, let alone rent another shop,” he lamented.
In response to the situation, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, suggested that the residents of Igbaja Street should write to the Ministry of Environment so that the government could assess and address their concerns.
PUNCH
News6 days ago
News3 days ago