Date: 2021-12-15

The residents of Kanga-Metta community in the Ilorin East local government area of Kwara State have made a passionate appeal to the Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, to as a matter of urgency come to their aid over perennial flooding which has caused gully erosion that has made the only road in the area impassable.

The community made the appeal in Ilorin on Tuesday through their Secretary, Muritala Yero, who led some community members to PUNCH office in Ilorin.

Speaking on the challenges faced by the community, Yero said that the only road serving the community has become a death trap as a result of the gully erosion caused by flooding whenever it rained.

He explained that the road has become impassable for the people of the community as well as visitors and traders who come to transact business in the area.

"It is always difficult for people to move to the community during each downpour," Yero lamented.

He recalled that erosion had in the past washed away some houses while children were trapped in the gully anytime there was downpour in the area.

The secretary said, "Erosion has flooded many schools and residential buildings that were close to the road paths. The gully has crippled the socio-economic life in the community as many residents have fled the community to other developed areas of the state."

"Several efforts have been made by the community to ensure that the road becomes passable but to no avail. Even Kwara State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Rotimi Iliasu, sent Chairman of Kwara State Road Maintenance Agency, Kale Oloje to the site for on-the-spot assessment."

He called on the state government to rehabilitate the road and provide good drainage so that the water would flow freely whenever it rained to ensure that lives and properties of the people as well as visitors to the area would be protected.