13th February, 2012
An early morning rain today wreaked havoc in parts of Lagos. The rain which destroyed about 20 buildings at Sabo, Yaba area of Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, also led to the collapse of some masts.
By Akin Kuponiyi & Ayodele Lawal
One of the masts fell on a car and another crushed a victim to death in Obalende. The dead victim was said to be a teacher at St. Gregory’s College, Obalende. The two occupants of the car escaped death.
Areas badly affected in the mainland include Herbert Macaulay Way, Oyadiran Estate, Sabo, Murtala Muhammed Way and parts of Oyingbo.
About 20 roof-tops were blown off including that of Silverbird Cinemas at Commercial Avenue, Yaba.
A mast reportedly fell on a Toyota car and a tricycle popularly known as ‘ Keke Marwa” was also crushed.
P.M.NEWS learnt that the mast that fell on the road caused a serious traffic gridlock around Herbert Macaulay Way, Murtala Muhammed Way, Sabo and parts of Yaba and Oyingbo.
A billboard fell on the police residential quarters in Adekunle area. A police officer, Supol Raheem Ganiyu told P.M.NEWS that he was already at work when his wife called him this morning and told him that a billboard had fallen on their home.
At the University of Lagos, the roof of Moremi Female Hostel was blown off by the storm that took the students by surprise.
It was wailing and weeping at Ago-Okota area of Isolo, Lagos as the storm rendered many residents homeless.
The storm also hit Lawanson, Ogunlana Drive, Obalende and Ikoyi areas of Lagos.
At Ali Dada Street, electric poles fell on some houses, while at Ogunlana Drive in Surulere, some telecom masts fell and destroyed some houses.
Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi was blocked by trees that fell on the road, making it impassable.
Some buildings also collapsed under the impact of flooding occasioned by the rain.
Meanwhile, some metereological experts told P.M.NEWS today that the rain was the beginning of more to come this year.
Residents of Lagos and Ogun states had earlier been advised to brace up for heavy rains this year by ensuring that the drainage channels around them were not blocked by refuse in order to reduce the risk of flooding in the areas.
The Associated Press reporter in Lagos reported that winds from the storm reached about 74 miles (120 kilometers) an hour, the threshold for hurricane wind speeds, said Mary Iso, the meteorological manager of Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Further inland, winds reached up to 40 miles (about 65 kilometers) an hour, she said.
About two-thirds of an inch (about 1.7 centimeters) of water fell during the storm, which lasted about 15 minutes, Iso said.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had previously issued warnings about the possibility of a storm coming through as the seasons begin to change in the nation, Iso said. Nigeria remains gripped by Harmattan winds, which carry sand from the Sahara Desert over Africa’s most populous nation. The country’s rainy season typically begins in several weeks.
“Within a transitional period like this, we normally have erratic weather,” Iso told The Associated Press.