Priscilla Ofunre, Ado-Ekiti
Business and office activities were paralysed, on Tuesday, in Ado-Ekiti, as an early morning downpour flooded many parts of Ekiti State capital.
The heavy rain caused heavy flooding and prevented vehicular and human movement in many parts of the state. It rained for several hours till late afternoon before it subsided.
The state’s Secretariat in the capital, along with other government offices witnessed low turnout of workers, as many could either not get to their places in record time, or had to return home when flooding took over virtually every road.
Worse hit was the notorious Ureje area of the capital, whose bridge had earlier collapsed last week.
Others areas included Ajilosun area, along Ado-Akure highway, Onala, Ajowa, all in Ado-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti, Headquarters of Ikere LG and the federal highway, along Aramoko Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti West Local Government area, among several others.
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Many school pupils and students of both private and public owned were stranded in their houses.
Scores of school children could not go to their various schools while those who had opportunity of doing so could not return home, as of the time of filing these reports about 5:30pm.
Many parents were seen at the bank of the flooded Ureje bridge, lamenting the whereabouts of their children and other loved ones.
A number of street boys, commonly referred to as ‘Area Boys’, took advantage of the development to make brisk businesses by ferring stranded pedestrians across flooded areas for a fee.
Some concerned residents, among them, Mrs Pelumi Abdul, Mr Jayeola Olabisi and Mrs Foluke Akande, lamented the dangerous trend of flooding in the state, saying something urgent and drastic needed to be done to avert looming catastrophe.
They called on both the Federal and Ekiti State Governments to form a synergy, capable of making the state capital have a new lease of life and free topography.
