The Synagogue Church of All Nations and its founder, T.B Joshua has come under fire after residents of Agodo in the Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area accused him of blocking the main canal in the community thereby causing them untold hardship. The canal connects Egbe under-the-bridge and Ore Oke-Isheri.
Punch reports that the blockage had prevented the flow of water from drainage channels in the neighbourhood into the canal, thereby resulting in flood whenever it rains. The residents have cried out as the raining season approaches. The blockage of the canal has caused their homes to be flooded each time it rains. It has forced some landlords to abandon their houses.
It was gathered that no fewer than 12 streets were affected by the flood which had wreaked havoc on a large number of houses in the area. A resident on Abati Street, Alhaja Kudirat, who spoke in Yoruba, said her neighbour, identified as Saheed, had abandoned his two-bedroomed flat.
She said, “Flood destroyed his (Saheed’s) property. He left the house and has not come back since then. Another landlord was forced to leave because of the flood. My house is also affected, but I have no other place to go.”
A landlord on the same street, Mr. Omotosho Asubiojo, said, SCOAN’s overseer, Prophet T.B. Joshua, had promised to construct an alternative drainage channel at the back of the buildings’ fence to link drainage channels on Ajisegiri, Abati, Ogbewi and Abanise streets.
He said, “He (Joshua) made the promise in December. We have cleared the bush for over a month now, but we have not heard anything from him. Our drainage channels used to discharge water into the canal between Egbe under-the-bridge and Isheri, but the church’s buildings have blocked it.”
Mrs. Ada Nkwo of Ajisegiri Street said her family usually relocated to her sister’s house during rainy season.
“The moment our gutter is filled up, the water spills into our compound. Most times, water will be coming out of the tiles and our premises will be full of refuse. It is water that damaged all our chairs and the electronics. It is only a television set that we have at home now. Anytime rain falls, my children and I go to live in my sister’s house in Ikotun. We have been experiencing this since we moved here three years ago,” she said.
The pastor of a Celestial Church of Christ on Jamiu Raji Street, Olanrewaju Olarenwaju, said, “I went for a meeting last year when it started raining. By the time I got home, my compound and some parts of the church had been flooded.”
Ajayi Abolaji said the incident had been reported to the Egbe-Idimu LCDA and the monarch of the community.
The effect of the blocked drainage channel
He said, “About seven houses are affected on Ajisegiri Street. We reported to Egbe-Idimu LCDA chairman last year and he promised that something would be done about it.”
Abolaji added that the owner of a newly completed building opposite the facilities did not move in for fear of the flood.
A teacher, Mr. Olaleye Olajide, said, “The flooding began in 2011 when he (Joshua) started a major construction here. It was flood that sent my brother away from this community. The government should come and see what we are facing. There should be free flow of water. It is the church’s buildings that are preventing the water from flowing.”
Daniel Ogechukwuka, the President, Abanise Waterside Community Youth Association, which is not far from Agodo, said eight streets were affected by flood in his community.
He said some engineers were sent by the church to assess the area after two letters were written to it, adding that residents were still expecting the church to address the flood.
He said, “Four engineers came from the church and we took them round and showed them where the buildings are blocking the canal. By February now, it will be raining and everywhere will be flooded again.”
A security man attached to the buildings, who declined to give his name, said, “We constructed the road and drainage channels on this street (Ajisegiri Street). Contact the main church, they will tell you the way forward.”
A representative of the church, Mr. Jegede Niyi, said, “They (residents) actually wrote two letters to the church to seek assistance on the dredging of the main canal for free flow of water to Isheri and on the issue of refuse blocking their gutters and drains generated by the neighbourhood. They also asked us to help them create a link to the main drainage channel that led to Isheri. After series of meetings, we decided to help them create parallel drainage channel of about five feet wide that will collect water from Ajisegiri to about four other streets. But the one (canal) at Isheri is solely the responsibility of government. As of Saturday, the church commissioned a contractor to handle the work on the blocked drainage channel as requested by the residents.”
The residents have cried out for help as the rainy season approaches to avoid their homes being flooded. They have called on the respective government agency to take appropriate action.
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