How flood force mother, child to sleep in toilet

A 50-year-old woman, Abosede, and her child, have been forced to convert their toilet into  sleeping quarters  at Odubanjo street, Igando, following last Friday’s heavy rainfall which almost submerged the entire community. Like Abosede, many residents in the area, which is located close to one of Lagos State dump site at Oko-filling, have also vacated […]

A 50-year-old woman, Abosede, and her child, have been forced to convert their toilet into  sleeping quarters  at Odubanjo street, Igando, following last Friday’s heavy rainfall which almost submerged the entire community.

Like Abosede, many residents in the area, which is located close to one of Lagos State dump site at Oko-filling, have also vacated from their submerged houses.

The flood broke through the fence of nearly all the houses in the area, opened up big crater along the about 100-metre road. Igando, like other adjoining communities have been battered by floods, with several people rendered homeless.

According to the residents, every year they live in fear; fearful of rains and floods that have become nightmares. And when it’s dry season, they inhale horrible stench from the dumpsite and are always anxious of fire outbreaks.

Some of the refuse from the dumpsite has blocked major drainages and fences, saturated with the flood, have started crumpling like pack of cards.

One of such people is Abosede and her child, who took to sleeping in toilet. The toilet, which is built outside the main apartments is on higher ground. It became a dryer place for her and her child; a sort of a safe haven.

She said: “I’ve been in this community for the past eight years with my child. For years now, this is how we’ve been living and it’s affecting my health, including that of my child.

“The place is no longer conducive for us, but we can’t even afford another place. Whenever it rains, I and other women used to fight over right of space in the toilet, but most of the women allow me to have the toilet because of my age. I’m married, but my husband is very old, too old. He left the children and I. I hustle for myself and children. All the property I moved into this community was destroyed. If we go out to work and it starts raining we start to worry and panic. We know there wouldn’t be a place to sleep. It means a night of trouble, cold and mosquitoes. When we return home to see our homes flooded, we go to bed hungry. There won’t  be a  place to cook.”

Abosede, who said that she also cooks and eats in the toilet, said that the community seriously needed government intervention.

The community is known as Zone one under the Igando Estate Phase 3 CDA, which comprises six streets, Odubanjo, Alamu Olaleye, Ovwighoyoma, Kajola, Ogunmer and Otunba Oladokun.

More than a thousand building and over close to half a million residents are at risk of losing their homes as the rains and floods continue.

The residents are appealing to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to look into their plight and assist them in checking the flood.

The secretary of the CDA, Samuel Michael said: “ I have been here for over 22 years. It used to be the best place in town, but today, everything has changed. As members of the community, we have been spending our resource to channel the flood, which has been occurring for years, but nothing appears to be working. Once it starts raining, we wouldn’t be able to stay in this community. The dumpsite here is also another problem; it pushes water back into the community. We pray the Governor Sanwo-Olu, to come and look at our situation and proffer a solution.

The residents appeal to Sanwo-Olu to help them by building drainages, grading of streets and to check the dumpsite by spraying it with the necessary chemicals.