CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
Residents of Ifeoluwa Community Development Area in K&S, Abaranje, Ikotun, say they are living in fear as floodwaters from the blocked Potokun Canal continue to invade their homes each time it rains. For months, families have watched their belongings get damaged while awaiting lasting government intervention.
The CDA, which accommodates thousands of residents with properties worth billions of Naira, is gradually being abandoned. Landlords and tenants alike are relocating as the water refuses to recede, turning once peaceful streets into waterways and destroying years of investment.
According to the Chairman of the CDA, Barr. Shola Coker, the problem stems from the Potokun Canal, described as one of the major drainage channels in the area. The canal links Isheri and Egan and runs towards the Agbara axis. He said years of neglect and indiscriminate refuse dumping have left the channel blocked.
Barr. Coker explained that because the canal is blocked, rainwater and overflow have no path to follow. “The water now flows into houses. It is destroying properties and displacing residents every time it rains,” he said.
The Chairman described how families wade through floodwaters to get to work and school. Children miss classes, businesses shut down, and some residents have completely relocated, leaving their houses to the flood.
The residents say the solution is straightforward. Barr. Coker appealed directly to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to deploy excavators and station them at the Potokun Canal for continuous desilting. “If the government brings an excavator and stations it at the canal, the issue of flooding will be over in our area,” he pleaded.
Mr. Olayinka Abereoje, Chairman of the Clearing Committee of the CDA, confirmed that the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of the Environment, had responded in the past. Teams came to clear the canal, but he said the relief only lasted a few months before the channel got blocked again.
Mr. Abereoje stressed that one-off clearing is no longer enough. “What the government needs to do is to station an excavator in the canal for steady clearing to allow free flow of water,” he stated. He added that continuous desilting would prevent refuse and silt from building up.
Beyond property damage, residents now battle mosquitoes, foul odours, and water-borne diseases. Health workers in the area say cases of malaria and skin infections have increased since the flooding worsened.
Traders, who depend on daily income, have also been affected. Shops are submerged, goods are damaged, and customers no longer come to the area. Landlords complain that tenants are leaving, leaving buildings empty.
Another resident, Chief Andrew Onwuka, also appealed to the government to intervene urgently to save investments in the area. “We are begging the governor to help us before we lose everything,” he said.
As the residents appeal to the government, Barr. Coker also warned members of the community against indiscriminate dumping of refuse. He said the CDA leadership would take steps to enforce sanitation laws and protect lives and property in the area.
The people of Ifeoluwa CDA say they cannot wait any longer. For them, a stationed excavator is not a luxury but a necessity for survival. The community hopes Governor Sanwo-Olu will respond to their cry and save Ikotun from persistent flooding.
