Rain Wreaks Havoc In Lagos, Ogun, Destroys Buildings

A downpour that lasted about two hours, on Monday, wreaked havoc on different parts of Lagos and Ogun states, destroying property and telecommunications infrastructure, and uprooting trees.

Many residents of the two states could not go about their daily businesses as a result of flood that accompanied the heavy rainfall.

The downpour, which began around 9.30am, forced many residents to stay indoors, while others, who took the risk to leave their houses, got stuck in traffic and at various bus stops.

Punch Metro learnt that two buildings partially collapsed in the Abule Egba and Ladipo areas of Lagos, while trees fell on roads and vehicles in different parts of Lagos and Ogun states.

Punch correspondents learnt that the roofs of several buildings, including those of two classrooms at a primary school in the Ayede area of Ogun State, were blown off by the rainstorm.

A source, who spoke to one of Punch correspondents on condition of anonymity, stated that the incident destabilised the pupils.

She said, “The rain affected two classrooms in one of the buildings in the school and the pupils were unable to carry on with their studies, because the classrooms were flooded.

“The roof of the building was just fixed by the school management after several complaints to the state government. We reported the case last year when the roof was leaking, but the government did nothing until the management raised money to fix it and now the rain has spoilt it again. We hope that the incoming governor will help us to fix it and do more in the education sector.”

Another victim of the downpour, who identified himself simply as Johnson, stated, “The strong wind that accompanied the rain destroyed a billboard around the Sango tollgate area and blew off the roofs of six houses.

“The rain also destroyed some kiosks around the Singer bus stop, Ijako, Ogun State.

“There was traffic at the Iyana Ilogbo area of the state because of the water that filled the potholes, which Julius Berger refused to fix, and this caused drivers to drive slowly, which resulted in heavy traffic.

“Some electric poles fell in the Ifo area of the state, which will make some areas not to have power supply.”