By Akinsola Omidire
It is a street begging for development. And now, the woes of residents seem to be increasing.
Tucked between Oladeinde and Oshogbo streets in a densely-populated part of Itire-Ikate Local Council Development Authority (LCDA) in Surulere, Lagos, Ejire Street, for many years, has been bereft of development. It has been neglected and left to retrogress. A government health centre, Ejire Primary Health Care Centre, is located on the street, and stands out as a sore thumb.
Over time, residents have complained of the upsurge of flooding whenever it rains. Many have also appealed to the authorities to clear the canal that traverses the community. Most parts of the area, from Owoseni Street to Tossou Street, Oladeinde across Ejire through Oshogbo, Ogunsanmi, Aina, Jubrila, Itelorun, Wosilatu Daudu to Jinadu Street and Pako Bus Stop have been blocked with refuse. The entire stretch of the canal is fulled with gunk and overgrown with weeds that need to be cleared urgently.
For instance, a recent downpour was a bad experience for residents of the street. The rainwater that should have been channeled away through the canal simply took over the street and sacked many houses, just as property worth millions of naira was destroyed by the flood.
Chairman of the security and power committee of the community, Segun Odubela, told Daily Sun that, over time, efforts have been made to inform the authorities of their plight, to no avail.
Odubela said: “We have been taking pictures over time whenever it rained heavily, and we have been sending them to the authorities for them to look into our plight and do the needful so that we can get the dividends of democracy. That has been to no avail,” he said.
He urged the authorities to be proactive in the discharge of their duties.
On his part, the principal of St. Greg’s Group of Schools, Mr. Ige, alluded explained that he had been making efforts every year for government to clear the canal before the rainy season, without success.
“You know we have schools on the street, so we are passionate about the health status of our pupils and students. We have taken shots of the flood and canal on a rainy day to the appropriate authorities to come and clear the refuse. But we have seen nobody.
Secretary of the community development association, Steven Afasanwo, also asserted that the ministry and agencies in charge of the environment have been inundated with several petitions. Afasanwo lamented the debilitating state of infrastructure on the street.
“A primary health care centre is situated on the street, yet we have not benefitted from the local government, let alone state government. They should look into our predicament urgently,” he said.
Chairman of the CDA, Primate O. Omoniyim asserted that 27 streets’ drainages were diverted to the street, which was the cause of the flooding after each rain: “For instance, Mutairu Ijaiye, Oredola, Shobande, Ogunmuyiwa, Irapada, Oshiga, Yisa and Lagos streets, among others, have their gutters channelled and diverted to Ejire Sreet. This is the greatest challenge we are faced with.”
Omoniyi said that the street was tarred in the 1980s, but frequent flooding destroyed the road. He charged government agencies to come to the aid of the people, so that they would have a sense of belonging as residents of Lagos.