By Francis Ogbuagu
The condition of people living in Upper Erediawa Street, off Upper Sakponba, Road in Ikpoba-Ohka Local Government Area of Edo State can be said to be pathetic. Unlike other communities in areas prone to incessant flooding in Edo State, they have abandoned their homes, while children have turned the place to fish ponds and swimming pool.
When Orient Daily visited the area,some young boys were seen swimming and on sighting the reporter, bring out his phone to take a shot, retreated. Others were seen far away with their fishing nets and hooks.
WE ARE IN HELL, RESIDENTS CRY OUT
Residents of community are bemoaning, as flood turned their houses to fish ponds. According to 80 years old , Pa Daniel Edoboh
“This place, you see children fishing with hooks and nets are all People’s houses.This community had been submerged by flood, more than a 100 houses are gone, and I know my own house will go anytime from now,if the government chooses to keep quiet”he said,the Octogenarian’s house is a few meters from the submerged ones.
“I built this house in 1980,we did not experience flooding here,until 5 years ago, though we were hearing that people down the other side are experiencing flooding until 2014 or there about,My friends has begged me to leave this place,but I don’t have any other place to go to. I have personally written petitions to the Edo State Government on many occasions,but nothing came out of it.
“When it rains, flood gets to the window level of this house, the last time,this car was covered by flood”,he said pointing at a Mercedes Benz C Class parked at the middle of his compound. “What we do is that once it rains, we’ll vacate for some months to allow the place dry,then we’ll come back to continue, infact all my documents, and property are all gone , everything is gone”, he concluded with a sense of hopelessness, throwing up his hands into the air.
Another resident,75 years old Pa Sunday Emeota, (who owns an uncompleted one- story building), said, people in that area has resigned to fate,he said, that only landlords who have no place to go are remaining there, as those who has options has left the area.According to him. “Look at my house,my tenants all left quiet long ago,there was even a church here before , but the flood made them leave”. He invited the reporter to the uncompleted upstairs, where the site of children standing on top of a roof with their hooks as they fish in submerged
“The problem were made worse when, the government started constructing gutters in this place. We asked them where they plannedto channel the water to,but they said it is to the flooded area. We found out that the contractors do not have the capacity to do the work,, because they were using wheelbarrows to mix cement and sand and that was how youths chased them away.” He concluded
SEX WORKERS LAMENT.
Meanwhile,commercial sex worker in Maria Gorrethi area of Upper Sakponba Road are lamenting their lack of patronage as a result of Incessant flooding.
Juliet, 20 years old commercial sex worker from Benue State came to Benin in 2018,she has lived in the brothel(name withheld by the reporter) for the past two years. According to her, during dry season she meets 5 to 10 men a day, but now,once it rains, she may not even find any customer for the whole day and she desperately wants to relocate to a more viable area. ” My name is Juliet,am from Benue State, I came to Benin to hustle in,2018.When I newly came to Benin I was getting about 5 to 10 customers a day, because it was during the dry season,but today,if rain falls, this whole place will be over flooded and you will not see any man that will enter here, I am really planning to go to another part of the town.” She said.
Also, Blessing(23) has a similar story to tell.She said the flooding has become problem for the sex workers that they cannot wait for the dry season to come,as , she do find it difficult to pay her weekky rent some times.
“My brother, the flood problem here is much, If I had come to this place during the rainy season,I don’t think I will still be here, because once it rains, nobody can cross to this place again,and no man will want to come to this place. During the dry season,I get up to 7 to 10 customers a day, but now, if you see two persons a day, you will be happy,some times to pay our weekly rent, which is #3,000.00(Three Thousand Naira) is very difficult.’ she said
