Residents of Ogun border communities, previously displaced by the unexpected flood caused by the Oyan Dam opening, are returning home despite significant property damages.
In October, the unscheduled release of water from the dam led to the flooding of Isheri, OPIC, Arepo, Warewa, and nearby areas, compelling residents to evacuate.
The flood, which drew the attention of state and federal authorities, has now receded after wreaking havoc for over four weeks.
Quest Times reports that residents and business owners are gradually resuming normalcy, but the aftermath remains a trail of millions of naira in property damage.
Kehinde Lawal, a property owner while speaking with newsmen on Thursday, expressed the traumatizing experience, detailing losses in cars, sofas, generators, and inverter batteries.
“We never expected that it would get to that extent. And when it turned out that way, I had to move my family away. We just returned not quite long ago. My properties were destroyed. These include my car, sofa, generator and inverter battery. All of these properties run into millions of naira. My inverter batteries are totally damaged and each of them costs over N390,000. There are still more that I have not even discovered. I am just taking my time to settle down and see the ones I can fix.”
Another resident, Olujimi Tella, said he returned from vacation to find his home submerged, incurring losses exceeding N10 million.
“When I came back from the US, there was no flood in my house. And all of a sudden, I saw the water entering my sitting room like a joke. And before I knew it, the water was up to my knees the following morning. My television, fridge, washing machine and other home appliances were in the water for weeks. The loss that I incurred is more than N10 million. I returned broke so as to recoup only to run into this crisis. It is so devastating.”
Also, Dan Ewang who lodged his family in a hotel during the crisis, faced unexpected damages despite preventive measures.
“My family had come to visit when the water arrived. It took the grace of God before I was able to drive out. We had to move into a hotel where I paid close to 15,000 a day. When the flood started, I got blocks and built a fence to block the front and back of the house, but guess what? Because of the pressure of the flood, water was not entering my house from the front or the back door but from under the tiles. It ended up damaging my property. The kind of doors we use are quite expensive and I have had my doors changed over and over again.”
Yusuf Lawan who stayed back while moving his family to a hotel, lamented the loss of two water pumps and two deep freezers, stating that some residents have even opted to sell their properties rather than return.
Consequently, landlords in the community have appealed to the state government for support, urging them to explore Internally Generated Revenue prospects.
Abayomi Akinde, Chairman of Riverview Estate in Isheri, emphasized the need for the government to fulfill promises and invest in lasting solutions beyond road repairs, saying, “The Ogun State Government has a lot to gain if they can fix the problem in this area and not just fix the roads. We want the governor to be a statesman,” while highlighting the potential gains for the state.