Residents of Nsukka town, Enugu state are still counting their loses sustained due to the flood menace that hit the University town on Tuesday and Friday during heavy down pour in the town.
It was the first rains of the year and so, many residents were virtually taken unawares, leading to loss of fortunes to the flood.
The rain which started at about 8am on Tuesday submerged major roads in the town, generating huge flood that destroyed many shops and wares inside shops.
However, at Barracks junction, Nsukka, one of the affected persons who gave his name as Chijioke Ugwuja told WITHIN NIGERIA that ” I didn’t expect that rain that day. There was no any sign of rainfall that day. Of course you know as much as I do that rains do not normally fall here in March. But, this year is now different. I was still in my house that morning and when it started, I didn’t know it will have this devastating effect.”
Recounting his loss, Mr. Ugwuja told our reporter that ” I lost over one hundred bags of chicken feed to flood that Tuesday. The flood destroyed my fence, submerged my warehouse where I kept the feeds. The feeds destroyed are worth N1.1m.
Another affected resident who gave her name as Cecilia Okpo explained that ” I went to my village, Nimbo when the rain started that Tuesday morning. The flood entered my shop and carried all my food stuff worth over half a million naira.”
However, for the people of Alor-Uno, a flood-prone community in Nsukka local government area of the state, they are now living like sheep without a shepherd.
Flood has literally taken over their residential buildings and even farmlands with little or no government intervention to ameliorate the situation.
When WITHIN NIGERIA visited the community on Saturday, it was discovered that their situation took a nose dive when after years of appeal to the state government, a construction company was contracted to handle the flood menace; from Onuiyi, Zik’s flat UNN to the community, a distance of about five kilometres.
Our source revealed that half-way into the project, the work was abandoned, leaving the community worse off than before the award of the project.
However, when WITHIN NIGERIA visited the community to ascertain the level of damage by the ravaging flood, many houses were submerged with water.
One of the affected residents, Mr. Innocent Eze told our reporter that he no longer sleeps in his house as a result of the flood menace.
“As you can see, my house is submerged with flood since yesterday. I and my entire family no longer sleep at night each time there is sign of night rain. This started last year and it has continued to worsen with every rain fall. This is the first rain of the year and we are going to be in a serious problem if nothing is done to ameliorate the situation.”
Asked how much lost he has incurred as a result of the flood menace, Mr. Eze explained that ” I don’t how much millions of naira we have lost to this ravaging flood. Many buildings have collapsed, tens of plots of farm land, poultry buildings and so much economic trees have been lost to this flood. We are calling on the government to finish this work or else, the flood will finish everybody in this community.”
Another affected resident, Thomas Eze told WITHIN NIGERIA that he no longer goes to his house with his car.
” We have cars and motorbikes but we no longer ride them to our various houses. This is because the track roads have damaged so much so that they are no longer motorable.”
Tracing the genesis of the menace, Mr Eze told our reporter that ” the construction company, NEW MAP allegedly caused the problem by abandoning the project half way into the project.
“The worst is that they channeled the flood water to this village, Amebo, Alor-Uno community and the destruction has been unquantifiable I have personally lost farm land and buildings to this menace. Last two months, we almost lost a ten year old boy to this flood menace.”
Asked what they have done on their own to curtail the situation, Mr. Eze stated that ” we have contacted the construction but didn’t pick our calls again. That’s why we are appealing on the state government to come to our aid before this flood takes over the entire community and probably beyond.”
Speaking to our reporter, another resident, Mrs. Ngozi Ugwuanyi who is married to Ogbunike town lamented the ugly situation, stressing that urgent attention is needed to curb to menace.
“When I came to see my brother here, I couldn’t recognize my father’s house again. This is because flood has ravaged our village, Amebo and our community, Alor-Uno. Imagine that my brother has a car but he cannot drive it to his compound because of flood. We are calling on the government to come to our aid before it gets out of hand.”
Nevertheless, all efforts to get the reaction of the state commissioner of works, Engr. Greg Nnaji proved abortive as his phone is said to be always busy.
