A yet to be identified man has drowned in the canal at the Sango- Otta toll gate area along the Lagos – Abeokuta Express road. It was gathered that the man drowned on Saturday April 6th. When our correspondent visited the toll gate , the corpse of the man was seen face down in the canal water as residents, business owners lament the incessant drowning in the canal.It can be recalled that school children, among other residents and passers-by have drowned in the damaged canal while vehicles have plunged into it at various times.
Investigations show that the frequent deaths and accidents are as a result of the flooding which has the damaged canal and bridge at the toll gate area. Following these incidents , the residents in the toll gate boundary communities of Ajegunle Ilo in Alimosho local government area in Lagos State and Ilo Otta-Awela community in AdeOdo Otta local government area said in the last sixteen years , they have been calling on the federal as well as Ogun and Lagos state governments to urgently repair the damaged canal and bridge at the Sango- Otta toll gate along the Lagos –Abeokuta Express Way . The residents lament the destructive effects of the canal flood which has washed away markets houses, including business premises due to the deteriorating state of the canal calling it a death trap especially during the rainy season.
The Baale of the Ajegunle Ilo community, Prince Abolaji Adeyemi during an interview appealed to the federal and state governments to repair the damaged canal and the bridge to avoid more deaths and destruction of properties in the border communities.
He said ‘’ The canal is what separate Lagos state and Ogun state at the toll gate area. However, in the last sixteen years, we have been appealing to the governments both at the state and federal level to repair the damaged canal which has continued to expand due to the yearly flooding. Houses and businesses close to the canal including two markets are being washed away. Lives of school children, passers- by as well as other residents are at risk daily”
The Baale also stated that the canal has sadly become a dead trap during rainy seasons. He said ‘’ A young man downed in the canal at the weekend and this is not the first time as school children, a young meat seller as well as others have drowned in this canal because any time it rains and there is flooding , people can be caught in the flood and they can drown’’Anytime that we call on the government when there is a downing, it takes a long time for them to respond and there is a meat market close to the canal and these dead bodies in the canal can cause cholera outbreak . Also, there are incessant accidents as vehicles plunged into the canal due to the damaged bridge. We need government to help us as a particular hotelier whose business premises is almost being wash away by the flooded canal has spent over N30million to build the wall of the canal but his efforts have not stopped the flooding ; the canal continues to widen with the rain, and has almost washed off a road to the community . We have written several letters to the governments and created awareness in the media concerning the danger the damaged canal and bridge posed but the government officials will come, take photographs of the canal and leave but the problem has not been resolved for the past sixteen years. For the up tempt times, government should please come to our rescue as they are the only ones that has the capacity to handle such huge project ‘’.
The manager of the hotel close to the canal one Mr. Richard Odakwu said his boss has spent over N26million to fix the canal to no avail . He appealed to the government to save lives and businesses which employ a lot of people as well as the markets, roads being washed away by the canal flood.
‘’ My boss has spent over N26million to fix the canal because he values lives first. My boss spent the huge amount which should be used for something else to make concrete slabs to guard against the flooding from the canal from reaching our hotel and if not for that temporary solution, the canal would have widen and collapsed the hotel already . Sadly, the slabs are already washing off due to the huge current of the flood so we need the government to proffer a permanent solution to the problem . This recent drowning is one of many. Whenever there is rain, people are trapped and cannot go out, while trailer load of goods including vehicles with people have plunged into the canal and this happens on a weekly basis. The accidents and drowning has become too frequent and people just look away when it happens saying it has happened again. We appeal to government to come to repair the canal and the bridge to avoid more deaths and further destruction of properties. ’’
The Community Development Association chairman of the Peace Land community in Illo – Otta Awela Ogun State Mr. Rufus Ejimakinde stated that the community has spent their personal fund to fix the problem of the canal but to no avail. He added that the project is a huge one that requires the attention of the federal government working alongside the state governments. ‘’ We have contacted government for help but they will come and take pictures and nothing will happen. On our part, we spent money to put up a slab for passage but the government brought some dredgers and they widen the canal and removed the slab and up till date they have not returned. As I am talking to you, there is a corpse in the river, Three years ago, a man who was trying to avoid the flood when it was raining fell into the canal and downed. There are regular trailer accidents where trailers plunged into the canal. The tractor operators the government brought worked for 19 days and left. We asked why they left when the canal is not yet repaired and they said we need to reapply before the tractor operators can continue work but up till now they have not returned . We have contacted Senator Yayi to help take our plight to the federal government and we are yet to get a response. The rain is not yet heavy but sees how an innocent man has lost his life in the canal. What will happen if the rain starts in earnest? What about school children from our community who attend school in Lagos state plying the toll gate and its starts falling heavily? Is this how Nigerians will be drowning due to government neglect ?
Ahmed Ololade a butcher at the market close to the canal also lamented the failure of the government to fix the damaged canal and bridge. He said ‘’ For over 16 years of selling meat in the toll gate area, the accidents caused by the damaged canal is a weekly occurrence . The meat market is being washed away by the flood and this is a place that is putting food on the table of many. The market used to be very big with other traders selling their goods but what remains of the market is just a little portion because the flood has widen the canal and taken up the huge market space we had . Two years ago, one of our meat sellers, a young man drowned in the canal when the rain started heavily and the flood came against us. The young man was catch in the flood and it was his corpse we saw after three days . The most insensitive action by the relevant authorities is their failure to remove a drowned corpse from the canal after they have been notified. The recent corpse has been in the canal for days and we are selling close to the canal, is this right? We the meat sellers have spent almost N4,000,000 to create barricades to stop the water from the canal from destroying our market but this has not yielded any positive result because what we can afford to do are temporary measures and due to this damaged canal, our customers are afraid to come to patronize us and this is affecting our business and the other businesses around the canal. I am appealing to the government to come to our rescue’’.
Mrs. Dosunmu, the Community Development Association chairperson of the Ajegunle Ilo community lamented that the canal issue has worsen over the years due to government neglect. She said ‘’ We have written several letters and called the attention of the government to this canal problem. The local government chairman for Agbado-Okeodo is aware of the situation. The Ministry of Works and other relevant government agencies in charge of Works have visited the toll gate, yet no meaningful action has been taken to address the canal widening . Meanwhile, the CDA executives have met with the local government chairman, a member of the House of Representatives for Agbado Okeodo and during the last stakeholders meeting , we were informed that the community should seek a new approval for the commencement of repairs at the canal because the previous repairs were not properly done. Our fear is that school will soon resume and school children will have to ply the toll gate , what if there is heavy rain , where will they run to? What about other passers-by and motorists plying the toll gate? The government should please help save lives as this latest drowning is one too many. One of our Community member’s wives was swept away by the flood while she was crossing the canal to go home. How many deaths can we count? We need government to come to our rescue urgently’’.
A resident of Ajegunle Ilo community one Mr Ayo Samuel who has abandoned his house due to fear of the flooding said the government failure to fix the damaged canal and bridge despite all the appeals and deaths is highly worrisome . He said ‘’ There is a government in Nigeria but it is the people that are making efforts to stop the canal widening due to flooding which come from Lagos and Ogun state and are channeled into the canal. The hotel owner has been trying to stop this canal widening with the construction of slabs . He has spent a lot of money. Also, the community has tried their best. It is only government that can help. The situation of the canal is sad and tells how nonchalant and insensitive the government is to the plight of the people . I cannot go near that toll gate due to fear. I worry a lot for the school children who must cross over from the Ogun State through the canal to their schools in Lagos, causing many to stay back or stay trapped at a location anytime it rains to avoid drowning ‘’.
