Teledalase community in Maidan Orile, Ikosi-Isheri Local Government Area of Lagos State has been cut-off from the city for two years, with no hope of reconnection, the News Agency of Nigeria is reporting. According to residents of the community, the big carnal, which passes through the community, needs to be dredged to ensure free flow of water when it rains.
They said the Maidan Footbridge, which was used by residents to cross to the other side of the LGA, collapsed two years ago.
The residents also alleged that they had experienced different environmental challenges in the last two years and had written and consulted some government representatives. They say the situation is worse because their children cannot go to school during the rainy season for fear of being drowned in the carnal. They also revealed that many had become homeless in the community due to flooding.
NAN observed that due to the collapse of the footbridge, residents of the community had to pay to be taken by canoe, whenever they needed to go to the city for school, hospital, market or even business. The Community Leaders and Residents of Teledalase told NAN that they had been appealing to the government to come to their aid, by fixing the collapsed bridge, which disconnected them from the larger society.
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Alepro Ehijapor, Chairman of the Community Development Committee in Araromi Community of the area, told NAN that the stress of commuting from the area was stressful as well as painful, especially for the elders in the community. “We have been abandoned by the government and that’s why we are appealing for quick resolution before the situation becomes worse,” he said.
The community leader also added that it was an enormous risk to transport pupils by canoe to school daily, and appealed to the government to rescue the community. Ehijapor also urged the government to build a big embankment to prevent the flood from overflowing its banks into the community.
He said: “We want the government to build an embankment to prevent the flood from overflowing its banks into the community during heavy rains as the majority of the houses are already affected. Our school children are also at risk of not getting education because most of them do not bother going to school when the carnal overflows during rainy seasons.”
Adebayo Kareem, a former CDC Chairman of Araromi Weigh Bridge in the community, also said that the environmental challenges were beyond the Community Development Associations and CDCs.
Kareem told NAN: “It’s beyond our capacity. The collapsed bridge and flooding are major challenges that are threatening the existence of the community. These problems have rendered many homeless because when there is rainfall, many residents leave their houses and seek shelter elsewhere. At the same time the bridge, which is the major entrance to the community, has collapsed since 2022 without repair.
“Many of the residents have resorted to going out by canoe. They pay N50 per head to enable them to cross to the other side of the community. This is what we do to get to our places of work. This puts our lives at risk on a daily basis.”
Dennis Olakitan, also a resident of the community, told NAN that he could not go out for fear of canoe rides. According to Olakitan, he has a phobia for water transport.
He said: “So, I find it difficult to leave my home. All my legs have swollen because I have been indoors for months. We are living in isolation and fear in this community. Majority of the elders cannot go out because of the collapsed footbridge. We beg the government to come to our rescue and save us from the life of isolation we are leaving.”
Abayomi Oguntimehin, also a resident, said they were tired of using canoes before they could connect with the outside world. Oguntimehin said: “The collapsed footbridge has disconnected us from the major road. We are calling and begging the government to rescue us from this environmental hazard and find a lasting solution to our problems in this community. This is the rainy season, some of our school children are at home for fear of the carnal, we really need urgent attention to these issues.”
NAN reports that the Maidan footbridge, which sits between Oniyanrin Street and Maidan Orile, enroute Agility Bus Stop in the Mile 12 area, collapsed on July 8, 2022 after a downpour and has not been repaired till date.
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