Johnson Idowu
Over 2,000 residents in the Jakande Estate area of the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State are presently homeless after being displaced by heavy rains between May and June 2004.
The National Emergency Management Agency in a statement on its X.com handle, on Thursday, disclosed that the rains also led to the collapse of some buildings in the area.
NEMA added that the effects of the rains were ascertained following a post-disaster assessment carried out by its Lagos Territorial Office on Wednesday.
The statement read, “The agency received a distress call in respect of the flood that devastated Jakande Estate, Lagos, affecting 2,000 persons in the community between May and June 2024.
“On arrival at the scene of the flood incident, it was discovered that many structures had collapsed because they were weak thereby rendering the occupants homeless.
“At the period of assessment, some of the homeless were seen under make-shift tents and unhealthy conditions. Others were accommodated by friends and loved ones living within the estate.”
NEMA however stated that its assessment revealed that some of the affected buildings in the area had been marked for demolition by the state government while some buildings had already been demolished.
The emergency agency further revealed that the affected buildings included schools, religious centres and a police station in the area.
“The team observed that many of the collapsed buildings were weak and had earlier been marked for demolition by the state government, and some had already been demolished.
“Market, schools, hospitals, religious centres and police stations in the area were submerged including their operational vehicles,” the statement concluded.
Efforts made by our correspondent to get the reaction of the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, to know the measures put in place state government to ameliorate the suffering of the flood victims proved abortive.
He did not respond to calls and messages sent to his line as of the time of filing this report.
PUNCH Metro reported last Friday that motorists plying the Berger-Mowe end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were trapped in a gridlock after a downpour flooded the Long Bridge section of the road.
Our correspondent had gathered that the stretch of the bridge towards Warewa was covered by water and road users were left stranded.
It was observed that the water almost levelled up with the bridge, forcing vehicles to move through it at a slow pace.
Meanwhile, some parts of the state like Akowonjo, Wempco Road, Egbeda and Lekki were also inundated by flood.
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