Mafoluku residents lament dilapidated roads, floods

Seek Govt’s Intervention
For the umpteenth time, residents of Old Ewu Road/Oludegun Avenue and its environs in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi, Lagos State, have called on the state government to come to their aid, by face-lifting the potholes infested roads, which have been highly susceptible to flooding in recent times.

According to the aggrieved residents, in the last three years, whenever there is a downpour, flood water take over their homes, but the government is yet to consider rehabilitating these roads and also open up the clogged drainage in the area to ensure free flow of rain water.

Some residents who spoke to The Guardian noted that they endured the situation for about one year, but conditions got deplorable when HITECH Construction Company started construction work on the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, about two years ago.

Mr. Olamide Johnson, a landlord in the area explained that since the flood menace started ravaging the area, property worth millions of naira have been destroyed in the neighbourhood, adding that many people who go to Ikeja and Victoria Island pass through the area to link up Beesam Gate Junction.

Insisting that these network of roads need urgent rehabilitation because of the role that they play in easing interconnectivity, Johnson regretted that the series of letters written to the state government regarding the bad state of the road, and the flood challenge have not yielded the desired results.

Many people come into this community to worship at the St. Jude Catholic Church, Mafoluku. These worshippers, who come from far and near are sometimes confronted by flood, because the church itself is one of the buildings that are badly affected by the flood whenever there is a heavy downpour.

A tenant who has been living in the community for 20 years, Mr. Lawal Bakare said recently, each building in the community contributed money, which was spent on cleaning/de-silting of the drainage to ensure free flow of water, but the situation has persisted because it is beyond self-help.

“We have been living with the flood for some years now even though it is a very unfortunate situation. Two years ago, we had a terrible experience when floodwater entered almost all the buildings in this area. We complained to the state government asking it to put preventive measures in place. Since the complaint was lodged, nothing has been done to open the blocked canal,” he said.

A motorist Dike Ibekwe said: “This is a canal that runs from this area through the Aviation Estate, down to NAHCO. But all the waterways have been blocked, thereby preventing the free flow of water. So, we are appealing to the government to come to our aid, and ensure that the canal is cleared as soon as possible.

“We have visited the Chairman of Oshodi/Isolo Local Council over this situation, even the lawmaker, who represents us at the state House of Assembly is aware of our plight, but nothing has been done about it. We have written letters to Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Works and Housing, informing them of our predicament in this community.”

One of the leaders of commercial motorcyclists in the area Mr. Bello Abiola said: We have been cooperating with community members, and leaders to find a lasting solution to the problem, but as I am talking to you, we are still waiting for the government to intervene.

“We have spent over N100, 000 to fill the potholes and clear the drainage, as our own contribution to community development. But whenever it rains, the drainage would be clogged, the road covered by floodwater, and this makes movement difficult for people in this community. Even pedestrians find it difficult to navigate the road,” he said.