Residents of Igbaja Street, in the Bariga area of Lagos State, have lamented the state of the only road that links them to the expressway and other parts of the area.
The residents who spoke in separate interviews on Saturday lamented that the road is always flooded, and they have to employ the use of rubber boots to be able to ply the road every day.
They also decried the sorry state of the drainage in the area stating that it worsens the flood.
Our correspondent who visited the area noticed that the drainage was filled with water and dirt, and that shops on the street also do not open until mid-afternoon when the water level has reduced.
One of the residents, Mr Gbenga Aina, told PUNCH Metro that it was difficult to take his three children to school and bring them back to the house since the water level started increasing 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 after the other down to the end of the street. Tricycles will not agree to come in and there are no bikes here.
“I am just praying to God to provide money for me to leave this place because I endanger my children every day, we don’t know when this will end. Some people say it will end by October or November, but this doesn’t look like it will stop anytime soon.”
Another resident, identified simply as Mr Gabriel, said he moved in last year unaware of the flooding.
“When I moved in in 2022, everywhere was dry. All of a sudden, I started noticing that water came out in the evening flooding the whole place. I asked some people who were here before me and they said it was normal at the end of the year.
“However, all through 2023, we have suffered this flooding on this street. Landlords here will only rent out their houses when the street is dried, so most of us are not aware of this situation.
“The government needs to come and help us. The drainage system is so bad; grasses have grown on the drainage filled with water,” he said.
A shop owner, who didn’t want his name in print lamented that his sales had gone down since the flooding started.
“Rain worsens the flooding here. Look at my shop; I cannot even shade my wares unless the place is dried. Sometimes, I won’t open the shop until later in the noon.
“If I had a choice, I would have left this place but then, I do not even make enough money to take care of my family, talk more of rent another shop,” he lamented.
When contacted, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, said the residents of the street should write to the Ministry of Environment so that they could come and see what could be done to help them.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
