Residents of Isheri Estate Community at the OPIC end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have demanded a permanent solution to the flood crisis affecting their areas.
The residents and property owners also faulted the government’s directives for them to relocate to higher grounds.
PUNCH Metro reports that the residents were thrown into panic barely a week ago following a flood scare due to the release of water from the Oyan River Dam by the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Authority.
A gradual increase in the Ogun River’s current later led to an overflow, spreading across areas some metres away from the river bank.
The impact which resulted in heavy flooding across various estates within the communities has also led to a significant increase in the relocation of residents.
Speaking to our correspondent on Monday, some of the residents cited economic hardship as reasons why they could not relocate from the communities.
A resident, Kunle Adio, said, “Some people have been relocating to hotels, but I can’t because I don’t have the resources. I was still trying to find my balance economically before this flood started. I have no choice but to stay here with my family and endure it while it lasts.”
Another resident, Eniola Akintunde, said old age had prevented some residents from relocating.
She said, “Some people have lived here for many years. Some have even spent about 40 years. We also have retirees who are staying in some of these areas and they stay in the houses they built. How do you want them to leave and where do they want to go? Some of them are stranded already.”
During a visit to the communities on Monday, our correspondent gathered that some residences were almost inaccessible due to the floodwater.
At Gavel and Riverbank estates, residents could be seen walking through the water while holding their footwear.
This was also a similar sight at Riverview Estates as some vehicles were seen driving slowly in the flood which had taken over the roads in the estate.
Business owners also seem to be counting their losses in the estate as some shops were seen to have been locked. This included a block industry site some metres away from the entrance of the estate gate.
While also expressing their displeasure at the development, some of the community leaders demanded firm action by the government to end the flooding.
The chairman of Isheri Estate Community, Gbenga Oshobu, said relocation was not the solution to the problem.
He said, “As I speak to you, people staying at Agiliti have left their homes as well as Isheri North and RiverView. We are becoming refugees in our country. Unfortunately, this is a time when the economy is bad and only a few can lodge in the hotel. A lot of them who have houses could not afford to pay N78,000 to sleep in the hotel. Again, there is another lower dam that was supposed to be built to reduce the impact of this flooding but that has been abandoned for years.
“The idea of asking us to relocate is not the solution. Besides, where do we want to relocate to? People have invested billions of naira in this community. In Western countries, you see houses on the coastline, and they never vacate their homes. I think we have become so sophisticated to be asking people to vacate the land. How many acres of land does Lagos State have? So if people could manage to build houses where they can inhabit, I think they should be encouraged.
“I understand that the Lagos and Ogun state governments are doing their best but they can do more. We also want to appeal to the dam management to incorporate residents of these communities into their planning.”
The Chairman of Isheri North Government Residential Area, Lekan Akinyemi, described the current situation as terrible.
He said, “It has been a terrible situation for the past three weeks and some residents have been moving out. I moved into the estate in 2017 and ever since, it has been a recurring issue year in and year out. We are getting an inch closer to what we had in 2023. We have been doing a lot for ourselves having spent millions of naira but we can’t address the flood crisis.
“The permanent solution they said they wanted to proffer was a 10-kilometre dredging of the river from Itowolo down to Isheri North, but nothing has been done. We believe if that was done, it would have desilted in the canal and the river and the river would have a lot of volumes to take water. The canal will also have a lot of volume to take water. We have been crying but nothing has been done. What are they doing with the ecological funds that are being paid year in and year out? Nothing was spent concerning Isheri North.”
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government has said it is planning a temporary shelter for residents affected by the flooding occasioned by the release of water from the Oyan Dam.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, told PUNCH Metro on Monday that plans had been made to accommodate the flood victims and persons prone to the flooding.
The commissioner also advised residents in the flood-prone areas to evacuate immediately and not wait for an escalation of the situation.
