As winds, heavy rains storm Nigeria
Witnesses told our correspondents that the wall of the factory fell when the roof of the factory was blown off. The incident attracted residents of the community who thronged to the factory site in a bid to rescue the factory workers trapped under the rubble. “We all went there in the rain in order to […]
Witnesses told our correspondents that the wall of the factory fell when the roof of the factory was blown off. The incident attracted residents of the community who thronged to the factory site in a bid to rescue the factory workers trapped under the rubble. “We all went there in the rain in order to rescue the factory workers. The rain was very strong and was accompanied by heavy wind. Before long, we started seeing cars carrying the corpses of the workers. Three died on the spot while four died at a hospital,” an eyewitness said.
Speaking to our correspondent on phone, the manager, who refused to disclose his name and that of the company, confirmed the incident but that it was four persons that died as a result of the collapse of the wall. “Yes, it happened but it was as a result of storms and winds. It was the wind that pulled the roof away, which led to the collapse of the wall. They were working outside the factory. Sixteen persons sustained injuries and they have since been treated and discharged.”
When contacted, spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Aminu Lawan confirmed the report but that it was a natural disaster. “We are aware of it but it is a natural incident. Some people died and many others sustained various degrees of injuries,” he said. In areas like Unguwan Dosa, Kawo, Badarawa and Unguwan Kaji in Kaduna, there were reports of power lines and poles falling, leading to total black out. A resident, who did not want his name in print said as a result of the damage the rains caused, residents of the area had to make monetary contributions to restore power because the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) did not do so. Reports of falling trees totaling five have been recorded across the state one of which fell along Gen. Muhammadu Buhari way, but no life was lost.
In Ekiti State, residents of Ipao, in Ikole local government, were also badly affected by the torrential rains some weeks ago. No fewer than 62 houses either had their roof tops blown off or damaged in the heavy storm. Ukoro and Emure-Ekiti were also affected in the rainstorm, first recorded in February. Residents described the incident as unprecedented. Some of the houses whose roofs were blown off were left so for days due to financial incapacity of the owners. The state government, however, came to their rescue by compensating them with cash and relief materials.
Dr. Ojo, the Medical Director of Mother and Child Clinic, Opopogbooro, Ado-Ekiti and Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, attributed the flood to blockage of drainages with refuse which residents do indiscriminately. To prevent such disaster in the future, a cross-section of the residents said they have made it a point of duty to decongest drainages in front of their houses on regular basis to ensure free flow of water during rainfall.
A resident, Mr. Emmanuel Olanrewaju Omopariola, said rain storms have become a regular occurrence in the town as the recent one was the third time it would happen at such a disastrous degree. He appealed to the government to help the community find a lasting solution to the annual disaster in addition to whatever relief materials the government would provide.
Even with the rainstorms, in some parts of the country where hot weather has been tormenting residents, the rain came as a kind of succor. In Kogi State, for example, residents had been languishing under excessive heat in the metropolis that they resorted to prayers for rain to commence. Last Sunday, their prayers were answered, and it rained cats and dogs, a rainstorm that shook almost the entire state. Several residential houses, places of worship, school buildings and electric poles were destroyed. It started at about 7.20pm, lasting about 30 minutes. Such areas in Lokoja as Gadumo, Adankolo, Kabawa, Felele, among others were affected, as well as Edeha and Bassa. Many residents said it was beyond their understanding. According to them, it would have been better if there was no rain at all. Apart from losing valuable property to the incident, its psychological effect, especially on little children, is devastating.
A resident of Adankola, Lokoja, Mr. Bola Yekini, described the incident as terrible and urged the state government to intervene so that many of those affected would not remain homeless for long. Similarly, Hajia Zaynab Abdullahi, a resident of Gaduma, who spoke to Weekly Trust, described the incident as very unusual. The rainstorm shook the entire state capital like a tsunami. Houses were shaken to their foundation, houses were unroofed. This is a very traumatic experience, especially now that building materials are costly. This is the time for those in government to prove that they are concerned about those they govern”.
Following the incident, 67-year-old retired teacher, Mallam Ibrahim Ahmed, a resident of Felele area of Lokoja, has relocated to his younger brother’s residence in Lokongoma. He laments that the rainstorm has destroyed the house he managed to build about 26 years ago. The Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, was also not spared. The institution’s principal officers’ car park, library, art and design department and school of general studies were affected.
The rector of the polytechnic, Professor Mathew Idowu Ajibero, urged the state government and spirited individuals to come to the aid of the institution, saying that the school authority has no capacity to replace the destroyed facilities. Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mrs. Rhoda Momoh, has called on those who lost their property to the incident to report to the agency immediately. She enjoined them to forward pictures of destroyed property to their local government chairmen, saying that the agency was compiling the list of those to be compensated by the state government.
Last week, as well, the wife of the Chief Justice of the Federation, Mrs. Victoria Mimi Katsina-Alu was also killed on Saturday night by a falling tree at their country home in Benue State. Just like the other incidents in Kaduna, Kogi and Ekiti, it was attributed to a heavy rainstorm. Scientists have attributed unpredictable weather to the effect of climate change and therefore have been campaigning against green house emissions which destroy the ozone layer resulting to all sorts of natural disasters.