Residents Cry Out As Gully Erosion Threatens Lives, Property

As the rainy season approaches, residents of Akorede community located behind Police ‘F’ Division, Tanke area, Ilorin, Kwara State are no longer at ease.

The worry of the residents of Akorede community stems from a huge gully erosion threatening their environment and property.

LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that the gully was caused by the annual flood water.

When our reporter visited the area, he observed that the effects of the gully had manifested in some residential buildings with cracks on the walls.

Erosion has almost chopped off the only access road serving the community, thus posing danger to the residents  and commuter  plying the road.

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Speaking  on the development, Dr Yusuf Abubakar, a owner of one of the affected houses, appealed to the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to come to their aid to avert danger to lives and property.

Abubakar said that erosion control and management is one of the ways the government can protect the lives and property of the residents of the community,  pleading  with the government to construct drainages and fix their road to avert looming disaster in the community.

He  explained that the thought of rain is a nightmare for members of the community, saying “when it rains, houses, roads and other valuables will be overwhelmed with water. Some residents will have to vacate their houses because of the damage the flood could cause to their lives and property”.

He added:  “There is no peace of mind in the community during the raining season. Sadly, there are some set of houses that the erosion had done so much harm to. The gully has creeped totally to the residential apartments, forcing them to enter their apartments through the backyards”.

“When we moved into my house about three years ago,  the gully was not as much as it is now,” he added.

 Abubakar recalled that the spaces that the gully had eaten up now used to be pathways for both cars and pedestrians, adding that the erosion had totally washed away the pathways.

Abubakar noted that he spent huge amount of money to make concrete walls and drainage to save his building while the erosion has not ceased creeping in.

“I often feel heartbroken whenever I come outside and see the gully. I always avoid to look at it because its an eyesore”, he said.

Also speaking,  another landlord whose residential building had been affected by the erosion , Mr Fashola David, said he used concrete to build water channel in front of his house to divert drain that would have gotten into his house. 

David added that the community had  written letters to the state government on their plight.

Another resident, Mr Yisau Babatunde described the situation as worrisome and pathetic and called on relevant government agencies to come to their aid before the situation gets out of hand.