A human rights organisation, Save Lagos Group, has given the Lagos State Government a three-week ultimatum to curb incessant flooding in some communities in Ikorodu area of the state.
This is coming just as the group also promised to shut down government activities at all state government offices should the government fail to commence repairs on major roads and construction of drainage networks in the area.
The Convener of Save Lagos Group, Comrade Adeniyi A. Sulaiman, in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos, lamented the hardship being faced by residents of Ikorodu town and its environs since the commencement of the current rainy season some few months ago.
According to the human rights activist, the spate of flooding being witnessed by the people of the area might not be unconnected with the state of the roads within the townships which he said are in deplorable state.
Sulaiman listed the affected locations as including Igbogbo, Awesu, Orere-Abosan, Ofin-Oreta, Bayeiku, Ebute, Adamo as well as primary school, the United African Methodist Church and Salvation Primary School located in Igbogbo-Bayeiku Road.
He stated the current decision to give the ultimatum stems from the fact that the state government has refused to act on earlier petitions the group has written to the state Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, alerting him and his government to the hardship being faced for the people living in the affected communities.
Sulaiman said: “We have written severally to the state governor on the need for the state government to bring development to these communities. Specifically, in the numerous letters that we have written we warned him that apart from the affected communities being cut off due to lack of accessible roads, they also risk danger from flooding as there exists not proper drainage network in the areas.
“We received an acknowledgment to our letter on 7th of November with ref. number LGS.232/S.10/I/43 intimating us that the commissioner of works has been mandated to act on it that all the listed roads would be repaired or rehabilitated by the state government.”
Sulaiman however said no concrete action has been taken to effect the needed repairs that would bring succor to the people of the communities.
He said rather what the state government officials have been doing is to pay lip service to the complaints.
Sulaiman stated that reminders were sent to the state government on the issue, dated May 22, 2017 and June 9, 2017, but no official acknowledgement has been received from government, not to talk of taking action on the issue raised.
He stated that the problem of the people of the areas has further been compounded by the activities of the killer cult group, Badoo, whose members have killing innocent citizens of the area for ritual purposes.
According to the Save Lagos Group, it had warned the state government on the need to be more proactive on issues relating to security of lives and property of the people of the state, saying: “Clearly from what is on ground, the state is no longer safe in the hands of the present government who seems to have abdicated its responsibilities to hoodlums.
“What else can one say about this government in the area of community development and security that what is happening across the state has not told us. Life has becomes so cheap that some shadowy group can always be on the rampage without the state government being able to curb them.”
Sulaiman stated that the state government should heed its ultimatum on the highlighted issues, adding that failure to do so will attract a complete shutdown of government activities across the state.
He said: “All we are saying is that anything short of that (the ultimatum) will lead to a long drawn political battle between our group and the state government. We are going to utilize mass/legal action, clamorous peaceful demonstration, rallies and picketing of government offices until we are satisfy that the state government is heeding our call.”
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