Posted by Assoh-Emeka Samuel on
A Residents of Jakande Estate in Lekki are currently going through a difficult time as the flood caused by the heavy downpour in the area recently is yet to recede.
A Residents of Jakande Estate in Lekki are currently going through a difficult time as the flood caused by the heavy downpour in the area recently is yet to recede.
Most parts of the area were flooded as a result of the downpour while roads have been rendered impassable for both human and vehicular traffic.
A resident of the estate, Mr. Salem Egoh, told P.M.News: 'Any time there is a heavy rain, more than 70 percent of the residents become automatic refugees in their homes while properties are usually destroyed. There is no good drainage. The gutters are filled with sand and refuse and you can hardly recognise them again. If there is good drainage, we would not be experiencing flood here.
'Rain should ordinarily bring succour but it has turned into our own nightmare. It poured nonstop all the night.'
He appealed to the state government to come to their aid as the disaster has brought them untold hardship. Investigations by P.M.News revealed that most of the flats on the basement floor of the estate have been abandoned by their owners due to flooding.
Members of a family were seen removing water from their home while some tried to prevent the flood from getting into their homes with different barricades.
Mrs. Veronica Obi who lives on the 2nd floor of one of the blocks in the estate told P.M.News: 'Several hours of torrential rain at the weekend destroyed our properties. Some residents have packed out their belongings to safe areas. It is a common sight here to see father, mother and children clutching their belongings and moving away to safe areas because the water has reached unbearable level.'
She called for urgent measures by the state government to arrest the situation.
Another resident who identified himself simply as Emmanuel blamed the problems of the area on lack of drainage. 'If you get to my room now, the flood has taken over. It nearly swallowed me. My foam, electronics are on top of water. All my things are destroyed. I have to start from the beginning again,' he stated.
The stagnant water in the estate have turned into a pool where children play and bath. An official of the state ministry of works at Alausa who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed the residents for their plight, saying nobody allocated the flats to them. 'These are people forcefully ejected from Maroko by the then Col. Raji Rasaki administration. They occupied the uncompleted estate without approval. We are aware of the problem and we are going to do something about it,' he said.