Hundreds of inhabitants of Ilawe-Ekiti, in Ekiti South West Local Government Area of Ekiti State, yesterday, counted their losses following Thursday’s downpour that devastated much of the town including the palace of the Alawe, Oba Ajibade Alabi, the traditional ruler of the town.
The floods that followed the five-hour rainfall submerged many houses and commercial buildings. Occupants of such buildings were forced unto the streets. Farms, vehicles, and other valuables worth millions of naira were also damaged.
Worst hit was Oke Ibedo, Iro, Ijuku, Araromi, Adin, Oke Emo, Afuremu, Irorin, Okepa, and Aaye.
The fence of the Alawe’s palace was also pulled down by the rampaging flood as residents lamented that the town had not witnessed such devastation in a long while and pleaded that the state government should come to their aid.
Oba Alabi said: “This has not happened in this town before and we pray it doesn’t happen again. We express our appreciation to the state government for their prompt response, we thank out Deputy Governor for this visit.”
The king who is also the Chairman of, Council of Traditional Rulers in Ekiti State, attributed the flood to lack of drainage and good layout in some streets.
He urged the government to assist landlords and residents of his town who were now left with nothing due to the damage done by the flood.
Similar sentiments were expressed by community leaders, Lawrence Egunjobi and Sesan Ojo.
In response, Deputy Governor Bisi Egbeyemi pledged the government’s assistance for the victims.
He directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to commence immediate documentation of victims with a view to assist them in cushioning the effect of the loss.
Egbeyemi sympathized with the affected residents and promised prompt intervention by the government.
The Deputy Governor also directed the Chairman of Ekiti Southwest Local Government, Amire Kolade, to assess other parts of the town affected by the flood and report back to his office for further action.
He said: “We sympathise with you for what has happened, we pray that we will not experience it again but we are going to assist you after we might have assessed the damage.
“The details of affected persons will be taken for necessary action, those who owned houses and other property to see how we can give you succour. Cooperate with our (SEMA) officials on ground to carry out the task.”
