Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
A two-hour downpour that ought to be a blessing has rendered the people of Ikare-Akoko and Supare-Akoko in Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State, homeless. Those affected have bitter tales to tell.
Many of them are presently living with friends, relatives and neighbours, having being displaced with members of their families. The incident led to the destruction of more than 500 houses including schools, palaces and other commercial centres. The roof of the old palace in Ikare-Akoko was blown off, as many properties were destroyed with valuables worth millions of naira destroyed.
The rainstorm wrecked havoc in Gaga, Oke Aro, Orita Afin and Gbogi. While some of the houses were partially affected, many had their roofs completely blown off. Also, some vehicles were trapped under fallen trees.
The incident also resulted into total blackout, as electric poles and wires were destroyed. Many of the areas where the rain wrecked havoc are still in darkness, although efforts are being made by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), to restore electricity into the areas. Some churches and mosques were also affected, just as schools and other social and commercial centres were affected.
The head of Gaga community, Mr. Oluwole Omotoso, urged Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to assist with relief materials: “This incident came to us as a shock. It is very unfortunate that this could happen to us at this time when things are not easy in the country. That is why we are calling on our state government to assist us; we are begging them.”
He explained that the residents contacted the lawmakers representing them in the state and National Assembly to come to their aid, but nothing positive has come out of it.
Another resident, Helen, said: “It has not been easy coping with the situation. I was not at home when the incident happened. My children who were at home called my attention to the unfortunate incident. We lost most of our valuables to the rainstorm. As a matter of fact we don’t have anywhere to sleep now.
“There is no body to accommodate us. We live inside the church; and the church members provide food and other materials we need for us. The clothes we are wearing were given to us by some members of the church. The government should please assist us for us to return home as soon as possible.”
Mr Idowu Babalola, another victim, said: “Some friends have come to my rescue. That is why you can still find us here otherwise we would have relocated to friend’s house. It was an unfortunate experience because the incident caused a lot of disturbances for the family.”
He called on the state government and the National Emergency Maintenance Agency (NEMA), to provide succour for the affected victims, as many of them are pensioners and petty traders who have no strong means of livelihood.
The Deputy Governor, Mr Ajayi Agboola, who visited the areas promised that government will assist the victims: “Government will take serious steps to avert such incident in the future.” He urged the people to plant trees around their residences to prevent future occurrence.
Commissioner for Information, Mr Yemi Olowolabi, who also visited the areas said: “We have compiled our report on the development, government will do the needful. We cannot blame anybody for this kind of incident because it was a natural one.
“We can only advise our people to do everything possible to avert such occurrence in the future. We will do everything within our capacity to ensure that such incident does not occur again.”
Chairman of the local government, Mr Rafiu Eniayewu, said he went round and saw the enormity of the damages and the losses. He urged the Federal Government to assist the victims: “The ravage done by the disaster was beyond the capacity of local or state government.” He advocated massive planting of trees to protect the town from rainstorm.