Makurdi, Benue State capital has started experiencing negative effects of excessive rainfall. The state capital and some other parts of the state had experienced a devastating flooding in 2012 which sacked thousands of people from their houses and led to the destruction of properties worth millions of naira. The recent flooding was occasioned by a downpour which started at the wee hours of last Monday and lasted for eight hours, resulting in the flooding of houses, markets and schools.
The development, which crippled commercial activities in Makurdi last Tuesday, left Wurukum, Gyado Villa, Kucha Utebe, Idye village as well as Wadata, Achusa Media village and Agboughoul communities flooded.
Nigerian Pilot Saturday gathered that many residents lost their properties as a result of the severity of the down pour which prevented them from evacuating them on time.
The development also wrecked havoc at the Pleasure Travels transport company, Kingdom Heritage School as well as the state transport company, Benue Links.
Similarly, the popular Wurukum and Wadata markets could not open for business because of the flood that filled the shops.
At the Pleasure Travels and Ageshi motor parks, vehicles were seen partially submerged and could not be used for commercial purposes as the rain lasted.
The Managing Director of Pleasure Travels, Dr. Paul Ubwa who was seen parking out office equipments out of his office, said the flood was propelled by blocked drainages from the popular Abu king Shuluwa road.
According to him, several vehicles belonging to the transport company were still filled with water and lamented that it is not certain whether they will function properly again when the flood eventually rescinds.
He appealed to Benue State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, BENSESA to change the mini drainages to bulk culverts to avert similar development in future.
At Gyado Villa, Josephine Adukwu, a 200 level student of Mass Communications at the Benue State University, BSU told this reporter that she and her colleagues were taken unawares by the rain. Saying;”it was a nasty experience; we were forced to carry our mattresses and bags on top of our heads to prevent them from being soaked with water”,
“This is disgusting because if nothing is done about it, one day, somebody might lose his or her life. This is because, if the naked wires that was on the floor yesterday were carrying electric current, it would have electrocuted somebody.” Adukwu lamented.
She appealed to the state government to properly channel the drainages to prevent accumulation of water in the area.
Another student, Rebecca Upele, a law student of the same institution whose room was also flooded by the heavy downpour, described the experience as terrible; saying, “all my things; rug, rice and other food stuffs, books, generator have been destroyed. The room is still stinking, we can’t even cook.”
Rebecca who pointed at some of her household effects she had moved outside for the sun to dry up, said, “what I noticed in the past five years that I have been in Makurdi is that the drainages are bad, even the few ones that are available are badly connected.”
On his part, Theophilus Tyozua, a businessman at the old NEPA Quarters area, along Gboko Road, who was seen arranging wares in his shop, expressed his disappointment in the inability of the state government to address the drainage problem which he said, has made flooding to be a recurring decimal in the area.
Tyozua who said he is also a footballer, explained that a female student of BSU was electrocuted last year as a result of flooding. “I feel very bad; that’s how we suffer every year because of rainfall. We have been appealing to the state government to come to our aid, they said they are coming, but we have not seen anybody. I’m begging the government to help us. That’s why they are in power; we voted them to help us out of situations of this nature.” Tyozua said.
In the same vein, Robinson Oduwaiye, a student of statistics at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi who resides at an area known as Navy Base said the flood is a disaster for him and his neighbours. “We cannot go into, and out of our rooms without stepping on water”.
Oduwaiye who also said his valuables including rug, mattresses and electronics were destroyed by the flood, also said; “we are facing a high risk now.” he recalled that the community suffered the same fate last year and nothing was done by the government to ameliorate the situation.
At Ishaya Bakut Road, Idye, Ephraim Iorhumbur Mede, a tailor who runs his business from his home described the recurring flooding of his house as traumatic. Mede, like other victims said he lost foodstuffs and household effects as well as his customers’ clothes by to the flood.
Ephraim said his immediate problem is his flooded business premises that have prevented customers from coming to do business with him. But Mede does not share this fate alone. Arch. Emmanuel Yatete whose drinking joint at Gyado Villa was also flooded with water, also complained of low patronage as a result of the fact that, his customers now find it difficult to find their ways to his business premises.
However, the state Commissioner for Environment and Urban Development, Alexander Akpera has warned those residing in riverine areas to vacate in view of more anticipated flooding of the area. Apera wondered why the people refused to heed to his earlier warnings of possible flooding which was predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
He said his ministry will not be held responsible in the event of any mishap and appealed to those living in such places to always avoid building on water ways, saying, there will be further increase in the water level in the coming weeks.