"We are calling and begging the government, to rescue us from this environmental hazard and find a lasting solution to our problems in this community."
Teledalase community in Maidan Orile, Ikosi-Isheri Local Government Area, Lagos State, has been cut off from the city for two years, with no hope of reconnection, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
According to residents of the community, the big canal, which passes through the community needs to be dredged to ensure the free flow of water when it rains.
They said the Maidan footbridge, which was used by residents to cross to the other side of the LGA, collapsed two years ago.
The residents also alleged that they had experienced different environmental challenges in the last two years and had written and consulted some government representatives.
They say the situation is worse because their children cannot go to school during the rainy season, for fear of being drowned in the carnal. They also revealed that many had become homeless in the community due to flooding.
NAN observed that due to the collapse of the footbridge, residents of the community had to pay to be taken by canoe, whenever they needed to go to the city for school, hospital, market or even business.
The community leaders and residents of Teledalase told NAN that they had been appealing to the government to come to their aid, by fixing the collapsed bridge, which disconnected them from the larger society.
Alepro Ehijapor, the Chairman Community Development Committee (CDC) in the Araromi Community of the area, told NAN that the stress of commuting from the area was stressful as well as painful, especially for the elders in the community.
"We have been abandoned by the government and that's why we are appealing for quick resolution before the situation becomes worse," he said.
The community leader also added that it was an enormous risk to transport pupils by canoe to school daily, and appealed to the government to rescue the community.
Mr Ehijapor also urged the government to build a big embankment, to prevent the flood from overflowing its banks into the community.
"We want government to build an embankment to prevent the flood from overflowing its banks into the community during heavy rains, as majority of the houses are already affected.
"Our school children are also at risk of not getting education because most of them do not bother going to school when the carnal overflows, during rainy seasons," he said.
Adebayo Kareem, a former Community Development Council (CDC) Chairman of Araromi Weigh Bridge in the community, also said that the environmental challenges were beyond the Community Development Associations (CDAs) and CDC.
"It's beyond our capacity, the collapsed bridge and flooding are major challenges that are threatening the existence of the community.
"These problems have rendered many homeless because when there is rainfall, many residents leave their houses and seek shelter elsewhere.
"At the same time, the bridge, which is the major entrance to the community, has collapsed since 2022 without repair.
"Many of the residents have resorted to going out by canoe, they pay N50 per head, to enable them to cross to the other side of the community.
"This is what we do to get to our places of work, this puts our lives at risk on a daily basis," he said.
Dennis Olakitan, also a resident of the community, told NAN that he could not go out for fear of canoe rides.
According to him, he has a phobia of water transport, so, "I find it difficult to leave my home. All my legs have swollen because I'm indoors for months."
"We are living in isolation and fear in this community, majority of the elders cannot go out because of the collapsed footbridge.
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"We beg the government to come to our rescue and save us from the life of isolation we are leaving.
Abayomi Oguntimehin, also a resident, said that residents were tired of using canoes before they could connect with the outside world.
"The collapsed footbridge has disconnected us from the major road.
"We are calling and begging the government, to rescue us from this environmental hazard and find a lasting solution to our problems in this community.
"This is rainy season, some of our school children are at home for fear of the canal, we really need urgent attention to these issues," he said.
NAN reports that the Maidan footbridge, which sits between Oniyanrin Street and Maidan Orile, enroute Agility Bus-stop in the Mile 12 area, collapsed on 8 July, 2022, after a downpour and has not been repaired. (NAN)
