Flood Ravaged Communities Seek NEMA’s Help

Inhabitants of Oko Londu, Ibode, Ponpoku, Origbongbo, Origele, Erewe and Itogbesa, the  riverine communities popularly called Eyin-Osa, in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos  State, Southwest Nigeria, have cried to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),  to come to their rescue as the area is about to be washed away by flood.

Members of the affected communities told Lagos Bulletin that they have not witnessed  flood in the area as it happened this year and because of the situation now, they have  begun to leave the place in droves.

It was also learnt that the situation has sent pupils out of school as their parents have  to relocate them to other communities while fishing, the major occupation of residents of  the communities, has been adversely affected.

Salawatu Yekini, an indigene of Okolondu village, said “this is where I was born about 60  years ago. We have never witnessed this situation before.  Now, our fishing business has  been affected, while our children can no longer go to school. This is a terrible  situation, government should come to our aid.”

In his own remarks, 75-year old High Chief Ramoni Adams, the Baale of Okolondu village,  said, since the flood problem started some days ago, some of the residents have fled the  community to other places, while their children have stopped going to school.

“All our belongings have been swept away by flood and are left with nothing. Government  should come to our aid before we are sent away from our ancestral homes,” he pleaded.

Alhaji Najeem Ajayi, sthe Chief Imam of Origele village, attributed the flood to dredging  of the lagoon. He claimed that prior to the dredging, there was no such occurrence in the  area and called on the state government to assist them with relief materials as well as  build a fence across the lagoon to save them from future occurrence.

“Flood was never experienced in this community before. This is a surprise.  All our  properties are gone, we don’t have any place to keep our children than to relocate them.

“The only solution now is for government to build a fence around us to shield us from  future flooding.”

Commenting on the flood, Mr. Yinka Mursiq Durosinmi, Chairman, Ojo Local Government,  attributed the disaster to the rise in water level across the world and promised to  resettle those affected to safe areas, while tasking the National Emergency Management  Agency (NEMA), to come to the rescue of residents of the affected communities.

“On our part, as a local government, we shall get the affected people resettled but NEMA  should come to their assistance. This is what the ecological fund is meant for and the  agency should rise to its responsibility and help these people,” he stated.