People get trapped whenever it rains in the areas affected | By Yinka Ojo
Residents of Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State have raised alarm over the gully erosion threatening lives and property in the area, and appealed to the government to come to their aid.
They urged the government to pay attention to Molipa, Ejirin, Idobi, Oyingbo and Ondo roads, which they said were the most affected areas in the town.
Titlola Muhammed, a resident of Molipa, said that they always panic whenever it rained due to heavy gully erosion in the area. Muhammed, who explained that the erosion in the area was an age long problem, urged government to do something urgent to address the situation.
Kunle Ariyo, a resident of Ejirin Road, said the erosion in the area was becoming unbearable, adding that nobody dared go out or come in whenever it rained.
Ariyo, however, appealed to the government to clear the drainage in the area and construct new ones for easy flow of water.
“I want to passionately appeal to government to give us a listening ear because this erosion problem is becoming unbearable,” he said. “Our lives and property are being threatened because of this erosion problem. We need government intervention to save our lives. If nothing urgent is done concerning this erosion, the unexpected might happen.”
Reacting, Raimi Saromi, the Local Government Council Caretaker Chairman, said that government was working day and night to address the problem, and appealed to residents to be patient.
“I am an indigene of this town and I know that erosion is part of our problem and which we are assiduously working to resolve,” he said. “The local government, with the assistance of the state government, has started construction of drainage and clearing of the existing ones in the town and in no time the problem of erosion will be a thing of the past.”
Yinka has taught at various levels of education. He has published a textbook on effective teaching practice and several academic papers in reputable journals. He is currently an education consultant. He loves writing, poetry, music and is presently working on a musical album billed to be released into the market soon.
