By Enefiok Imoh & Ernest Udoh-Robert
With the Nigerian Meteorological Agency warning of heavier rains this season, residents of Uyo and other towns in Akwa Ibom State are crying out to the Akwa Ibom State Government for urgent intervention after the heavy downpour of Thursday 9th July, left a trail of destruction.
They fear more damage and possible loss of lives if the flooding is not addressed immediately.
Mostly affected areas in Uyo were Ikot Ebido Oku, Afaha Ube Itam, Iboko Offot
Community leaders say the root cause is the absence of proper drainage, and are appealing for: immediate relief for displaced families and traders who have lost goods.
The people have also called on the government to pay compensation and also rehabilitate those affected by the flood.
Following the large scale destruction, angry youths barricaded several major streets in the affected areas in protest. The police had to fire tear gas after the youth refused to be persuaded to remove the barricades.
Several residents of the affected areas narrated their ordeal in tears. For instance, the Chairman of Ekop Udo / Archibong Ikotidem Community Association, Pastor Eton Nelson, said:
“The flood entered people’s rooms, destroying electronics, important documents, and household furniture. It has been so bad that residents of a particular house on Ekop Udo Street have not returned home. They spend the day around the area and sleep at night in the nearby True Vine Church because the water has not receded.”
WatchmanPost visited the community and confirmed that the home of the late ace broadcaster, Mrs. Margaret Eshiet — popularly known as “Mma Sibaba Sibaba” – of Akwa Ibom State Broadcasting Corporation [AKBC], was seriously affected by the flood.
Also in grave danger is the electricity transformer located in the flood zone. According to Pastor Eton, the community is already discussing ways to elevate the transformer base to prevent possible electrocution and total power loss when the water rises further.
Mr. Edianabasi Silas Akpan, one of the affected residents, said:
“We were asleep when the rain started. Later, I heard a thunderous sound. Before I knew it, water had pushed through the gate into my parlour.
‘’The first thing I did was to switch off electricity. Then I swam to carry my wife and child out of the house, leaving everything else to float. We have been sleeping in the church since then, waiting for the water to recede.”
Mr. Akpan said he has lived in the house for four years and has never witnessed flooding like this. He is appealing to government for quick intervention.
Mr. Asuquo John Akwa, a 20-year resident of Archibong Ikotidem Street, said:
“This is the first time we are seeing flooding of this magnitude. I woke up to see water already inside my rooms. We didn’t have time to remove anything. Our shop beside the house was also flooded and goods were left floating on the water.”
Abasiama Udo called for more than palliatives:
“We are begging the government of Pastor Umo Eno not just to bring relief materials. Come and do a lasting solution. The rain will come again. We need something sustainable.”
Mrs. Ekpeno Thomson Asuquo, a shop owner, broke down in tears: “Someone came to wake me that my shop was flooded. That shop is my only source of livelihood. I’m begging government and any public-spirited individual to help me.”
With torrential rains expected to continue through the peak of the rainy season, experts warn that low-lying areas in Uyo without proper drainage will continue to suffer.
In Iboko Offot the angry flood overwhelmed all buildings from Port Harcourt Street to Ukana Offot Street, submerging both the old and new buildings in the Church of Christ Four Towns, while the resident minister and his family were seen taking shelter in the upper part of the main church auditorium.
It was a sympathetic story along Uwah Street as all buildings, including the Golden Palace Hotel and the Palace of the Village Head, were under the flood water.
The village head, Eteidung Udeme Usanga, escaped by the whiskers as he was whisked away from his palace by some youths. However, his official vehicle was submerged in the flood while four goats and other domestic animals in his compound were killed by the flood.
Also, the flood killed all birds in a nearby poultry farm, damaging all property in the compound while the occupants were rendered homeless.
At the time of filing this report, effort was being made to pump water out of Golden Palace Hotel while the village head and his family were stranded along Uwah Street.
In nearby buildings along Abak Road, Ukana Offot, Uwah, Port Harcourt, Nkemba and Iyah Streets behind Access Bank, residents were seen scooping water from their houses and evacuating their household items like mattresses, pots, kettles, deep freezers, among others.
In anger, some youths from the area blocked Abak Road from traffic, demanding the state government to save them from the disaster.
Their leader, Friday Okon, lamented that some years ago, an Iboko woman lost her life in a flood and up till now, government is yet to take any action to salvage the situation.
He pointed out that for many years now, gutters along Abak Road have not been desilted, while their slabs removed since 2019 are yet to be replaced.
The residents accused government of being insensitive to the plight of the citizens whose lives and property the governor swore to protect.
It, however, took the intervention of the “C” Division of the Nigeria Police Force for the road to be opened to traffic after they fired teargas to disperse the angry crowd.
Consequently, the people berated the government for being very swift in bringing the policemen to fire teargas at them, but being insensitive to their plight for many years now.
However, the minister in-charge of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church along Iyah Street, Pastor Akpan Moses Stephen, has made a passionate appeal to the state government to urgently address the flood menace now ravaging Nkemba and the adjoining streets to give the residents a new lease of life.
He lamented the loss his church and other residents have suffered, lamenting that everything has been lost to the flood.
The story was the same along Udo Eduok Street, Nsikak Eduok Avenue, Tabernacle Road, Ikot Ekpene Road and other flashpoints where displaced residents are still counting their losses.
Moreover, the flood has rendered some roads impassable and people have now resorted to alternative routes.
Many have, therefore, pleaded with the state government to take action to mitigate this problem now that the rains are getting more intense.
Some other citizens have also called on the government to pay compensation and also rehabilitate those affected by the flood.
