Residents, Traders Of Ilo-Boundary Ajegunle community in Lagos, Ilo-Awela community in Ogun State Tollgate Lament Deplorable State Of Canal By Flood, Appeals To Lagos and Ogun State Govt.

Residents, Traders Of Ilo-Boundary Ajegunle community in Lagos, Ilo-Awela community in Ogun State Tollgate Lament Deplorable State Of Canal By Flood, Appeals To Lagos and Ogun State Govt.

….. Residents, Traders Of Ilo Awela Community Tollgate Lament Deplorable State Of Canal By Flood, Appeal To Lagos and Ogun State Govt.

By Onome Naomi

Residents, Traders Of Ilo Awela Community, the canal area between the Ilo-Boundary Ajegunle community in Lagos state and Ilo- Awela community at the Toll Gate, Sango end of the Lagos – Abeokuta Express Way., a boundary between Lagos State and Ogun state had bemoaned the deplorable state of markets and some residence areas caused by inconclusive dredging project as well as an overflow of water from adjoining canals during rainy season. The dire situation had led to the loss of lives, properties, goods as it also affects the abeateur, a meat market and food stuff market named after Folasade Tinubu Ojo.

Speaking with Alhaji Taofeek Opala, chairman of the meat market at Ilo Awela Toll gate, boundary between Lagos and Ogun state, he said the abateur had existed for over 40 years with the canal in site yet didn’t pose any form of threat until recent times. He also said the flooding has really been an issue as it washes away goods and people when the turmoil begins.

Furthermore, Taofeek recounted incidences created by flood as it expands the canal due to an overflow which had led to the death of a meat seller in September 2022. All humanly effort was put in place to save the drowning man but was rather futile as the body of the deceased was later found in another community and taken to bury after some rites had been performed according to culture due to the nature of death.

He also revealed that the association of meat sellers at the tollgate is approved by the government and therefore levies and taxes are paid yet the situation reported hasn’t been attended to. Stated that the canal has taken over lands and properties and there is only small space left for sellers of meat to display their wares, says the government in its capacity should intervene and help with the dire situation as the flood sometimes sweeps away the cows for kill, take lives and destroys properties, that’s how terrible the situation is, he lamented.

Fagbenro the secretary of ILO Awela meat association also gave an input in addition to the summation of the chairman, he said the Landlord association and residents of Ilo Awela had written to the government on 5 occasions as well as humanly efforts made to curtail the erosion from the canal but no response, said no financial strength to further fund the materials needed to control the flood situation and that’s why the people are soliciting for governments support.

Olalekan Folahan a resident also lamented about the situation as efforts by the landlord association and the community leaders at Ilo Awela to create solutions had proved abortive. Solicits for government to intervene swiftly so as to safeguard lives and properties.

Elegushi, another resident of Ajegunle ILO Awela Community said the inconclusive dredging done 3yrs back had majorly caused the expansion of the canal thereby leading to an overflow and loss of lives, properties and goods.

Olatunji Omiyale a meat seller who spoke to the press said he lost his 28yr old son, Matthew Omiyale to the flood from the canal on one occasion during a heavy downpour which usually cause the canal to overflow thereby posing hazardous happening, a situation that led to the loss of many lives both adults and children as well as his deceased son.

One Mrs Jumoke Lawal and Mrs Opeyemi Azeez, both traders who sells at the Folasade Tinubu Ojo market on the other side of the toll gate, an extention of the canal also recounted the sour experiences from the canal overflow which had caused a further widening at its edges eating into the stall areas in the market and further over taking the market space for traders, causing many traders to sort for other market places. Both traders also explained how the flood from the canal had destroyed many of their goods while also appealing to the Lagos and Ogun State Government to see to the disturbing factors that had rather caused suffering and loss.

Taofeek Azeez, the chairman of Folasade Tinubu Ojo Market Tollgate said the issue of over flooding is an experience that had lasted for 5yrs counting. He said, during the rainy season, flood from the canal overtakes market stalls thereby increasing its width to further take over land meant for the stalls. Stated that the market association has written series of letters and on air radio reports severally for years, appealing to the government for an intervention yet hasn’t been forth coming with solutions. He lamented about the issues faced due to the expansion of the canal created by flooding, still solicits solution by the govt as the situation is beyond personal effort.

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Opeyemi Ololade who sells at the meat market affected by the flood gave a thorough analysis of what went down that had aggravated the situation of the canal expansion. He said that the hazardous situation began when the Lagos State Government came to dredge the canals 3 years ago, not majorly heavy down pour over flooding issues as people had concluded. He revealed that other canals linked to that of the tollgate was also drenched which had caused an overflow from other areas flowing through the tollgate canal as a passage way for water or streams from other locations. After the extension of the rivers and dredging from both sides of the canal, the experience of overflow began. He said before the issue began, the canal has been functioning for years without the overflow and expansion at its edges but after dredging the bad experiences surfaced.

He further stated that affected markets and homes close to the canal has been writing to the government with the intervention of Lagos State and Ogun State CDAs to Ogun state ecology fund, Alausa and so on. The Commissioner for works had once sent a representative, Julius berger and CCIC to check up the issues and damages for a fix but didn’t do the needful, the government is aware of the situation but no visible solution has been put in place, he quipped.

A hotelier whose business premises is almost being eaten up by the canal expansion due to flood said the overflow has been a disaster for 3 to 4 years on, despite frantic efforts made to call on the Lagos and Ogun state government to assist in curbing the excesses of the situation of canal overflow at the Toll gate Ilo Awela in the Alimosho and Ota local government areas respectively. He said the affected residents/traders had joined resources to buy some materials to reduce the extension of the overflow amounting to some millions of naira yet when the flood approaches, it overpowers the stoppage created.

The hotelier also stated that the flood had affected the education of children who dwells around that axis as they cannot go to school when the rain starts, people are usually trapped in their houses when over flow occurs. After the dredging that occurred in 2020, the situation worsened because the project was inconclusive and abandoned, humanly financial effort amounts to over N15m yet no solution and that’s why the community had resulted to a more intense appeal for government assistance to put an end to the rather deplorable situation.

The lives lost to the canal overflow involved 3 school children, the wife of the CDA Chairman of Ilo Awela Community and a young male meat seller of 28yrs, all of this happened between 2020 to 2023. Despite dues paid from these markets, the govt do not seem it fit enough to adhere to the pleadings of the people despite the deplorable state of the area.

Naomisophyblog also observed that the bridge linking the Lagos and Ogun state is wearing out from its foundation due to the uncontrollable consistent overflow, a situation that should be checked with immediate solution to help safeguard lives.